From my reading I have gathered that white papers in general are extensive documents that detail some type of solution regarding a particular problem. Marketing white papers have recently become more popular because they can provide highly technical information and provide more information than a common pamphlet or brochure might provide. A government whitepaper is focused on a particular policy or position that a government might be taking, where a marketing whitepaper is more focused toward an audience that needs educated about a certain topic or product. A marketing whitepaper must be carefully crafted so it is not too technologically advanced for its readers, but it should also be more detailed than the common information regarding a product or service. There is some objection toward white papers, as some people have the opinion that they are unnecessary and that existing documentation or quick documentation will suffice, but a whitepaper should not be a glorified brochure. It must be of appropriate length and provide extensive information.
The two example white papers provided detail information regarding open source technologies from two very different viewpoints. The “Government initiatives regarding open source and their success and failures” white paper details how many governments worldwide are utilizing open source technologies. Interestingly enough in this white paper it seems that one of the main reason countries have moved to open source is to increase competition in the software market, such as in Japan where it was proposed that an open source system be developed to compete with Microsoft. This white paper goes into further detail about how the countries are switching to open source and utilizing the technology. The “IBM and Novell” white paper explains how IBM and Novell are “investing in open source technology.” This white paper details how the investments that IBM and Novell are making toward open source technology will keep them ahead of the competition.
Thanks!
-JFlitt
Open Source White Papers
It's interesting that you bring up open source software. I think one of the main problems with open source software is that the developers don't write enough documentation. White papers can be one way to document the ideas and functionality of the software. Programmers think that their code is enough but reading a well written white paper is much much nicer. One of the reasons that companies have better success than open source technologies is because they invest in writing white papers to inform the public about their technologies.
Analyze the White Papers
The issue here is that you summarize the white papers rather than analyze them in terms of style, design, or content.