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Ask Slashdot: Viable Open Source Models For Early Startups?

Posted by timothy on from the what's-the-mojo-kenneth? dept.

New submitter rchoetzlein writes "I am a software developer working independently for five years on various projects, and preparing to go public with my first product. Everyone is telling me I should make it open source. I would love to, but I just don't see how an early startup can afford to become profitable on service alone. My projects are no longer small-scale hobbies, they are large frameworks, and I need to make a living. Any ideas on business models that would allow me to open source while guaranteeing I can feed myself?"

1 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Sunset by shentino · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Try sunsetting your proprietaryness.

    Have your product be proprietary for a finite period of time, and once a particular version is EOL'ed or otherwise ceases to be commercially viable, open source it and let the public go nuts over it.

    You only need to keep your leading edge keen in the market.