Open source software, developed by a community of thousands of software developers worldwide, is always distributed freely. However, there are many ways to profit from it.
The foundational principle of the open source community is that software code is open for anyone to participate in its development and usage, rather than being “kept secret” as proprietary information. As a result, programs like the Linux operating system have become achievements of many programming professionals.
Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media (USA), stated: “Packaged software began to be commercialized in the 1980s, with Microsoft being seen as a symbol of this trend. However, right in the mid-80s, many declared that they disliked the closed information solution, especially information that others could continue to build upon.”
In reality, the development of open source code does not negatively impact profitability. The source code may be free, but the “gold mine” appears in the processes of software support, training, and publishing.
“The secret to success is that we provide free software along with a list of service costs, outlining what customers must pay for basic issues if they need support later,” revealed Damian Conway, Training Director at Thoughtstream (Netherlands). “In this way, people can still use it for free if they want to. But when they encounter problems, they will definitely need help, and you profit from that.”
IBM expert Chet Kapoor noted: “The open source community is making significant innovations in the market, addressing issues that have not been tackled in standardized software.” A noteworthy product reflecting the innovative mindset of open source recently is Flock, a browser that integrates new generation web technologies like RSS, blogs, bookmark sharing, and image sharing.
Karl Fogel, a member of the software distribution company CollabNet, mentioned: “In certain cases, freedom is a significant asset for businesses. If open source can genuinely bring in revenue from this freedom, continuing to explore this field makes perfect sense.”
T.N. (according to BBC)