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Snort Creator Makes Good

Posted by timothy on from the no-bayou-or-weaseling-required dept.

Anonymous Coward writes: "Robin Miller, aka Roblimo, has written a great analysis of one of the first Open Source companies to be profitable before their IPO, Sourcefire! In this 'local boy makes good', we read about Team Fortress-playing programmer Marty Roesch, who writes Snort to beat his online gaming addiction. Now Snort is one of the most successful Intrusion Detection Systems out there and Marty's start-up is going gangbusters. Robin explains how Marty's company started in his basement (like Apple's garage), got profitable, then got venture capital in a time when everyone swears there is no venture. Marty even offers jobs at Sourcefire for the Slashdot crowd, 'Linux zealots, Open Source gurus, self-starters who are self motivating so I can just turn them loose...'"

9 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Careers? by cp4 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Clicked on Careers and don't see anything for Linux zealots...

    Technical Writer and Marketing Manager don't quite fit the bill.

    Am I looking in the wrong place?

  2. Misread the headline... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and thought it was "Snort Creator Makes God".

    I was like, whoa, cool...

  3. Snort Slashdotted. by MisterBlister · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can it still detect intrusions when its being hit by an infinite number of open source monkeys?

  4. Snort?? by Myshkin · · Score: 5, Funny

    With a name like snort he is probably making a bunch of money off of people who think they're buying some cocaine.

  5. And also useful... by User+956 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm sure some of you would prefer the Windows version of Snort, put together by Silicon defense.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:And also useful... by carlos_benj · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm sure some of you would prefer the Windows version of Snort

      Would that be 'blow'?

      --

      --

      As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.

  6. Good luck. by saintlupus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Linux zealots, Open Source gurus, self-starters who are self motivating so I can just turn them loose...

    ...are actually off doing something interesting, rather than spending their time fucking about on Slashdot.

    --saint

  7. Step two revealed by gmhowell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    First go read the newsforge article.... Okay, the joke is:

    Step one: develop open source software
    Step two: mumble, mumble
    Step three: profit!

    Now, it seems that step two is revealed. It's actually a few steps. Now, for the first time ever:

    Step two (a): Come up with (proprietary) tools that make the basic (GPL) Snort code easy to understand and use for non-technical managers.
    Step two (b): Load Snort and the additional tools into a box, and sell the box as a complete solution, instead of just selling software.

    It's been said before that there is no incentive to make OSS easy to use. Here (and elsewhere) is the proof. Make it hard to use. Release it. BUT, make the config tools easy to use, IF you pay for them.

    I'm not slagging the guy, he's gotta eat. But it is another notch in the belt for those who are cynical about OSS and business.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    1. Re:Step two revealed by crimoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly, but this is a GOOD thing.

      Developers get to eat (and maybe pay rent), and customers aren't tied to one vendor.

      In addition the developer can get the assistance from the community at large, while the customer has equal opportunity to review the code that they are using.

      This is a shining example of how to leverage Open Source and make a living at it. Find a middle-ground where the core code is usable but not so easy that a monkey in a suit can install it.... the techies can run it for free and the suits can pay for it. I don't see how this is a bad thing.