The Rise of Open Source LLMs: A Trip Down Memory Lane of Open Source Webservers
The answer lies in history—of the rise of open source webservers. The past of Webservers could predict the future of Large Language Models (LLMs).
Let’s take a very short trip down memory lane.?
The Webserver Wars
Back in the 90s, post-Mosaic, Netscape NES, and Microsoft IIS were the two leading commercial webservers.?
But the lead did not last long!
NCSA httpd
Tech enthusiasts and hobbyists were not ready to pay for a webserver—they started playing around with NCSA’s httpd. National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in Illinois, is the same mecca where Marc Andreessen and his team created the Mosaic browser.?
NCSA httpd quickly became the go-to option for a free webserver. Rob McCool, one of the key developers of NCSA httpd, became a well-known name among tech enthusiasts.
Netscape NES vs Microsoft IIS
Netscape’s NES Webserver was its monetization ticket because its core browser product was free. It sold a lot of webservers. Countless webservers were sold to various industries, including airlines, media companies, government agencies, and large corporations. Any big co that wanted a website needed one!?
Microsoft saw blood and launched IIS in 1997, giving Middlefield Rd a tough fight.?
Meanwhile, NCSA httpd morphed into Apache httpd, beginning a new opensource era.?
领英推荐
Apache
Apache, as the only open-source alternative, rapidly gained traction, and major players like IBM, Oracle, Cisco, and HP began bundling Apache httpd with their middleware solutions. These companies also provided significant financial support and sponsorship, boosting Apache's popularity. Apache later became a breeding ground for several internet infrastructure opensource projects such as Tomcat, Hadoop, and several libraries such as Xerces, Solr, and log4j.?
The upcoming LLM wars
Now, let's fast forward to the present and consider the future of LLMs (Large Language Models). OpenAI has undoubtedly established a strong lead in this field with the success of their GPT series.?
Opensource LLMs
However, the webserver history has shown us that open-source initiatives often gain momentum and disrupt established players, and we believe the same could happen with LLMs.
Tech giants like Grammarly, Salesforce, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Notion may very well choose to back open-source LLM projects, fueling competition and innovation in the industry.?This collaborative environment will likely drive rapid iteration, similar to what we witnessed in the evolution of webservers.
Specialized LLMs
I’m betting that we could also see the emergence of specialized LLMs that cater to niche markets or specific industries, much like how Apache, Nginx, Tomcat, and other web and app servers have evolved to address different use cases. This diversification of LLMs will lead to tailored solutions that can better serve the unique needs of various users.
Ethical AI
A side benefit for opensource LLMs and the involvement of large tech companies in supporting open-source LLM initiatives may help to address some of the ethical and fairness concerns associated with AI and language models.
Wrap-up: Future is unfolding
The rise of AI fueled by OpenAI's GPT-4 capabilities is making us see the possibilities of what LLMs are capable of making us achieve.