Single-sourced
|
|
For information on managing content from a single source see Single source publishing
Single sourcing is the origination of any design, set of concepts, or any article real or insubstantial from a single, well defined source, either a person or an organisation. This definition encompasses all creative, material objects under consideration.
The advantage of single sourcing is that when some aspect of the product or service is incorrect, it is impossible for the vendor to avoid responsibility by claiming that some other vendor of a product component is responsible. As an example, this "finger pointing" is endemic in the provision of high speed DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) when purchased from "third parties|third parties" (other than the local loop provider). If a customer has a problem, the phone service provider will often claim that the problem is with the DSL service provider and vice versa. What makes this even worse is that neither of the parties will talk directly with each other on your behalf - all communication must go through the mutual client - you. If you "single source" by obtaining your DSL service directly from your local loop provider, this problem goes away (that doesn't mean it will work). Expect to pay a premium for such single sourcing, which is the economic motivation for non-single source providers (at least on one side) to make the relationship difficult.
The disadvantage of single sourcing is that you are at the mercy of the supplier. In the early 1980s, Microsoft sold the Lattice C compiler as their own. They later decided to develop their own C compiler. Developers who upgraded their compilers found that the low-level function to access interrupts was defined differently - and it returned a different value. Since this particular function was critical to most PC programming, developers were faced with a significant problem. They could no longer buy additional copies of the earlier version to accommodate additional employees they were adding. They could not easily switch to other compilers without making significant changes to their source code and retraining on the other compilers. They could only use the new Microsoft compiler by devoting many expensive man-hours to editing all their code.
Single-sourcing typically works to the advantage of the single source. The middle east has been politically important for centuries because trade routes must pass through that territory. Similarly, the strategic value of the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal have played a significant role in modern history, because they are single sourcing savings of time and money in travel.
"When you owe a little to the bank, you sleep uneasily. When you owe a lot to the bank, the banker sleeps uneasily." When it comes to single sources, it is usually better to be one, rather than to have one.