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How Can Companies Profit While Giving Code Away?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the make-it-up-on-volume dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In an almost philosophical essay replete with references to everyone from Larry Lessig and Tim Bray to to Professor Yochai Benkler, Sun Micrososystems evangelist Simon Phipps explores the metaphor of subscription (well, of course it's not just a metaphor any more from Sun's point of view) as the way that companies will make money off of deploying open source solutions. His distinction between OS developer and OS deployer is useful, but the crux is his contention that, with a "system" such as Sun has put together like the JDS, 'You don't buy the software from Sun - instead you subscribe to the editorial outlook.' It's an alluring analogy - Sun as the editor-in-chief of a 'publication' (JDS) with readers who may or may not choose to subscribe. Worth reading."

8 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. Coveted Fifth Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Biatch.

  2. first post! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    free is good!

  3. Re:Um, okay Sun... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Note to self... use the preview button *grumble*

  4. I want to to make a remark... by neuro.slug · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    ...about the imcomparable Slashdot editor grammar.

    1. Re:I want to to make a remark... by neuro.slug · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      incomparable, damnit. Boy, did I fuck that one up.

  5. Re:Analogy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    No it's how they give away complImentary rooms. God I hate that error. Check a style guide from time to time.

  6. How can companies profit while giving iPods away? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Free iPods are not a PYRAMID SCHEME scam

  7. Can WE - for once - by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    stop talking about
    - profit
    - military related topics
    - who's better than who

    and focus on the future of humanity????

    Thank you all.

    Regards.