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9 Open Source Companies to Watch
An anonymous reader writes "A look at 9 open source companies to watch, focusing on everything from systems management to portals to apps servers.
" Silly bits like where their names come from to less silly bits like how much VC they got and what they actually do. I haven't heard of many of these, but it's encouraging to see a growing number of businesses being built around Open Source.
They missed the #1 Open Source company to watch:
N3P
"N3P offers a brand new, contrasting and intrepid two-year college level training in how to become a successful Project Entrepreneur in Open Source. Our students will learn not only the technical possibilities, but also how to exploit new business opportunities, manage profitable ideas, and create flourishing businesses. The training will focus on how to generate business using open source."
N3P
1. Cleversafe - dispersed storage grid
2. Digium - open source PBX
3. Hyperic - manage heterogenous it environments
4. Optaros - consulting
5. Qlusters - open source systems management platform
7. Sahana - secure web portal
8. ws02 - open source application server
9. zenoss - network and systems-monitoring software
Bill Karpovich, bringing vague managerial-speak to OSS since August 2005.
Future ventures to include:
Paradigmoss
Leveragoss
Top-downoss
Empoweros
Bleedingedgeoss
Really, I could go on and on... But for the sake of my own sanity, I'll stop there. Besides, companies have been named far worse.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Are there any other open source based companies besides Red Hat that are actually profitable? I don't mean this to be flamebait, just wondering.
I was at a conference a few months ago sitting in an Open Source track, and the panel of Open Source vendors basically said that the best chance of success in the open source business was to be renamed Red Hat and to have come about about six years ago.
Yeah? Well I think you're overrated too.
How do they plan to keep making money going forward?
I'm not trying to be negative or cynical, but it's surely the most interesting question as an external observer.
IBM. I win.
That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.
I mean, it's not a bad idea, but that name? Sounds kind of like eFax calling themselves Windows Print Driver.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
here
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
This list is only looking at servers etc and none of these projects/companies would be of any interest in embedded space.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I just wanted to know what the companies did. So here it is (company name followed by "What does the company offer?")
Cleversafe
The Linux File System, which lets Linux computers store information on a dispersed storage grid called the Cleversafe Research Storage Grid. The company plans to offer commercial dispersed-data storage services and software.
Digium
Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX, and Asterisk Business Edition, a professional grade version of the software.
Hyperic
Hyperic HQ, an open source platform for managing heterogeneous IT environments, including operating systems and Web, application, database, middleware, and virtualization technology. The company also provides subscription-based services and support, as well as advanced features.
Optaros
Consulting and systems integration services focused on open source softwar
Qlusters
OpenQRM, an open source systems management platform.
Sahana
A secure Web portal that includes applications used to coordinate and collaborate during relief efforts following disasters.
WSO2
Tungsten, an Apache-based open source application server built from the ground up to handle Web services. The company is planning to roll out a line of Web-services-focused, Apache-based middleware, with its Titanium Enterprise Service Bus due for release soon.
Zenoss
Open source network and systems-monitoring software.
Zmanda
A commercial version of the open source AMANDA (Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver) backup utility software, as well as services and support for the software.
Tharkban (It is a signature after all)
See if you can figure out which company the "anonymous submitter" works for. Taking all bets!
rPath is quite interesting because what's the main hassle to get portability? Interfaces! Have a look at POSIX, glibc, M$.* and realize that those interfaces are big & fat. So, the easiest way to run an application might just be to contain it in its own virtual OS instance. And of course Cleversave is interesting (IMHO) because there is a practically infinite amount of storage out there and GByte prices are declining ever since harddisks were invented...
Funding: Private, plus angel investors, amount not disclosed.
Plus free, shameless advertisement through Slashdot:
Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26
Posted by Zonk on Monday August 21
Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 28
Uncopyrightable: The longest word you can write without repeating a letter.
I like how ZManda's web page says they offer "Two levels of world-class technical support".
Because some worlds are just naturally classier than others. I'd hate to get their Underworld-class support.
It could be that Sahana isn't really a company. It's an open source project. Interestingly enough, Sanjiva Weerawarana, the CEO of WSO2, appears to have been one of the initial contributors to Sahana ( http://cvs.opensource.lk/wiki/doku.php?id=dev:team ). Maybe it was just meant to be 9 companies and 1 community effort started by the CEO of one of the 9?
PETJ (People for the ethical treatment of journalists)
We've been profitable since day 1.
http://www.hyperic.com/
-John Mark
Community Manager
Hyperic
Hyperic Community Manager
A proposal I made many many years back was to run a league table, where so many points were scored for the release of an open source product, so many points were scored for updating someone else's open source product, so many for closed source products that supported or enhanced the usability of an open source product, etc. The more open source, the more points. Also, the more significant (in terms of power, flexibility, etc) the more points, and the more practical the more points.
The idea was to show who actually was doing work, versus who was merely bragging about it. The idea was also to make major Open Source figures (some of whom have never actually released a product but have contributed to many) just as prominent in the table as major corporations with Really Big Bucks to throw around. It would also show those who are working on making Open Source a key player in the computing world, even if their products are not themselves Open Source.
(Oracle would score points for having put their corporate database on Linux, for example, but it would not be as much as Computer Associates for putting their corporate database - Ingres - not only on Linux but opening up the source as well. Postgresql would score more yet, as it is not only Open Source but regularly maintained.)
Newcomers are at no disadvantage, because whatever REAL added value will show up notwithstanding the newness or the lack of awareness. If there's no added value, then there is nothing there to watch. It's merely a rebadge. If there's added value and this value is constantly added to (which is what a new company should be doing), then it will be a very obvious rapid-riser through the charts.
Proprietary vendors who are wary of opening their high-value major product lines will obviously not score as well, nor should they, but they will be represented as a function of what they have contributed - directly in terms of products, and indirectly in terms of improved usability.
Then, journalists MIGHT have a clue as to what is interesting and what is not. They might also have a clue as to what is significant, what is likely to become "big news" and what is worth the effort of covering.
As it stands, they neither know nor care. Whoever pays the piper calls the tune. Mind you, what I'm aiming for, with this idea, is not to introduce honesty, but rather to give people a copy of the songbook. Let people see for themselves if the tune is any good or is even what it's claimed to be. It would seem to me that an informed userbase will take care of the honesty issue by itself.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Yeah, thanks for the concern. We're mostly using apache licensed libs, and some public domain stuff. We do not distribute LGPL or GPL licensed libraries presently, but I don't think we'd hesitate to use an LGPL'd library if one were available that we wanted to use. We try to acknowledge any libraries we use by including their notices and license files, etc in the applet jar. If we've messed up, I'm sure someone will come along and let us know so we can fix it. Most of the cherry Java libraries out there are under the Jakarta brand, and those are all apache licensed. Cheers, Dave Woldrich
Open-Source Object Database for Java and .NET
With that many buzzwords in its description alone, it has to be good.
Asterisk is a much better name than Mark Spenser's senior project at Auburn: NADS. I don't think the professor was amused. If I recall correctly, they got the lowest grade in the class. I know some of the names are suppose to be funny but unless you're lucky enough to have a true geek running your IT department (pretty rare), you're not going to be able to use something named Drools or Groovy, no matter how good the product is.
Sahana is not a company. Sahana is an open source project we started in Sri Lanka in response to the Asian Tsunami in Dec '04. It was an immediate response effort (if you want to know more about it check out my blog). Later we re-started it to make it into a truly reusable system rather than a system made for the local situation and its now pretty much the de facto disaster mgmt system. I have no idea why the reporter listed it as a company. Yes I was involved in it (I was one of the many people who worked on it day and nite the days and weeks after the tsunami) and yes I founded WSO2 too but they have nothing to do with each other. Sanjiva.