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Commercializing Open Source Software
CowboyRobot writes "Michael Karels, system architect for BSD 4.3 and 4.4, has an article on ACM Queue about the challenges in trying to make money from open source software. From the article: 'As users of the software, open source contributors have certain common interests in making the software stable and usable.' but 'When additions require modifications to the base system, there may be resistance to incorporating the changes.'"
I believe in open source (or at least want to). But I think money rules in this world. If you look at other forms of Media and Art, giving stuff away won't get movies like Matrix made.
This is not to say that there are not many, many very good independent films. I'm just saying that maybe Linux and other Open Source projects are trying to hard to get the wrong market.
With "limited" resources a focus should be made to take the server market from M$, drop the GUI crap, Linux WON'T win on the desktop (at least not yet). But can easily win on the server.
Michigan Photography
I think your product is a good example of why ESR "forked" free software into Open Source(tm) software.
In the pragmatic world of business some code is more valuable closed and some is more valuable open. At the moment your code is more valuable to you closed so you can sell it and make a living directly from your work.
There will come a time, however, when if you are going to continue to make a living by peddling your own code you are going to have to produce more product.
If that product builds upon and enhances what you have already done Andromeda may actually be more valuable to you open.
Wisdom lies in accurately determining when that line is crossed.
KFG
You've hit the proverbial nail on the head there turnstyle, old pal.
Customers are *cheap* !
They want everything you can throw at them for free, but are unwilling to pay (even modest amounts) for support or customization.
Yeah! We all know they *should* pay for support and custom code, but get real.
I have tried this route, honestly. But I fail to see how it can ever work out financially - unless you are blessed with dealing with somewhat different customers from my own (SME thru corporate).
If you have made this concept work, then please, for the love of Mike, explain to the rest of how you did it.
And now repeat after me:
- There is no Open Source business model!
- There is no Open Source business model!
- There is no Open Source business model!
The fact is, most support is of the getting-started variety. Do you expect those people to pay for support *before* they have their software working? Or do you help them get set up for free, after which they have little need for support?
And if somebody writes to ask: "hey, quick question" Do you reply, sorry, but that'll be $5 first.
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
Why?
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I have been successfully running my own Free Software Business for the past 2 1/2 years. Every quater I hit or exceed my targets, and comfortably in profit - might not be rich but certainly have perfectly viable long term business.
My company provides consultancy, support and training ontop of the open source project I lead. The key to success is that the project competes well in terms of functionality and robustness with equivilant commericial products, and that you provide the services that the market requires ontop of that product.
FSB's really are little different than conventional companies, if you provide and product or service that the market want at a price that is reasonable for the customer, yet profitable to provide, then you're in business. It really is very simple. Robert Osfield.
Funny, and a good point.
I had assumed that a project like MySQL could pay it's own way, but I don't know if they are. If even hugely popular projects can't make it, then that doesn't bode well for small-time OS coders that hope to earn a living from their efforts...
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
The change you affect by passing on money is the marginalization of your voice. If instead you took that money and gave all of it to support some cause that you may believe in, you'd be affecting a lot more change.
And by devaluing things others charge for, you may indeed make it harder for the establishment to compete, but you also make it harder for independents too.
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
But the author likes to eat; and therein lies the dilema.
We do not reward people for contributions to society ( or I'd be a happy a little camper churning out books for Project Gutenberg), we make our respective livings filching money from each other's pockets.
Socialism does not change this, unfortunately. It merely changes the pecking order and rules for doing the filching.
"Grant writer" has become a profession.
KFG