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The business behind open source
The document discusses various ways that open source projects can generate revenue to support ongoing development. It notes that directly making money from open source is difficult, but projects can build businesses around supporting the project. Common revenue strategies mentioned include offering paid support, custom development services, training, certification programs, and donations. The document warns against approaches that won't engage communities like expecting free labor or having the wrong motivations. It provides examples of both successful and unsuccessful open source business models.
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The business behind open source
- 1. The business behindopen source
- 2. Graham Weldon • PHPdeveloper, 10 years • Once-was-a-java-developer • @predominant • http://grahamweldon.com • Working: CakeDC • http://cakedc.com
- 3.
- 4. What can generate revenue? Often project specific
- 5. Indirectly • Making moneydirectly from open source is difficult • Make money by operating your business along side your project • Allow the project to grow and evolve with the community
- 6. Support • The mostobvious • Premium support for businesses and individuals • Utilise high speed Internet for video sessions and screen sharing
- 7. Development • Build inand around your project, for clients • Custom software • Closed source (Yes, I said it)
- 8. Training • Educate users • Leads to better use, more contributors • Provide courses aimed at various levels • Again use high speed Internet to perform remotely
- 9. Certification • Might notsuit all projects • Offer professional structured testing systems to qualify users of a high standard • Offer certification as a "badge of merit" publicly Achievement Unlocked Zend Certified Engineer Achievement Unlocked Certification for CakePHP 1.3
- 10. Donations • Its notbegging • Method of giving back to the project for people that can't contribute • Encourages others to donate • Optionally allow donors to publicly list themselves I Donated to CakePHP!
- 11. What doesn't work? Common mistakes
- 12. People code forme, for free • Not going to happen if that's the "attitude" • If the focus is more on your business acquiring free developers, than making a great product that will entice developers you may need to rethink your motives • Open source != free labour
- 13. Wrong Approach “Communities donʼtrally around closed source companies to prolong the existence of failed companies or projects”
- 14. Wrong Approach “No-one wantsto be a lackey to a commercial open source project, contributing their time to further some companies interests.”
- 15. The idea isenough • I have a great idea • Someone will help me bring it to fruition • This is not how to get people interested • Everyone had great ideas • What separates us, is some have the drive to realise those ideas
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- 17. Examples • Nightingale http://getnightingale.com •Ideas only • Focused on processes and orgnaisation • Still failing to produce anything • No focus, no direction
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- 19. Examples • Xara Xtremehttp://www.xaraxtreme.org/ • Initially commercial • Wanted community help for port to Linux • Not all the source released • Not always an issue, but was in this case
- 20. Examples • Xaraʼs approach • We provided the source code • You provide us with your developer time • Communities donʼt work this way
- 21. Examples • Xaraʼs response • Community complained about missing CDraw source • Xara persisted with CDraw closed source • Essentially telling the potential community that their concerns were wrong • Xara is considered “stagnant” since 2008
- 22. How an opensource project starts ... or more correctly, how it has always existed, and you identify it
- 23. How a projectstarts • Successful projects • Existing implementation, open up to community • Start working on a solution to a problem • Some application/project that motivates you
- 24. Important Milestones • Havea product for people to download • Roadmap to show where you want to go • Source code from the beginning • Simplify feedback and input mechanisms
- 25. Bootstrap • Have “something”available • Something useful • Even something wrong • Its a place to begin, and comment
- 26. Resources • Website • MailingList • Bug tracker • Wiki, or similar • Source view / download • Realtime Chat (IRC)
- 27. Generating interest Building hype
- 28. Social • Get outand talk to people about what you are doing • Don't be afraid to share an unpublished idea • Get people interested • Get feedback first hand • User Groups
- 29. Social • People retaininterest in a topic if they can associate a real life relationship with it • Easier to communicate complex ideas
- 30. Playing fair Don't alienatethe volunteers
- 31. Money can't buyme love • Play by the same rules as volunteers • Motivate people to contribute through paying salaries • Don't let that get confused with control rights
- 32. Separate the entities •Operate the open source effort as a separate entity • Provides visible business separation • Gives confidence and assurance to those not working for the business
- 33. Example: CakePHP • Product:CakePHP, under MIT License • Cake Software Foundation "owns" CakePHP • Contributed to by a group of volunteers • CakeDC is a commercial business that hires some of the volunteers for work on client projects • CakeDC provides code back to CakePHP
- 34. Careful balance • Makeit known what "hat" you are wearing • Business cannot be the key motivating factor for the projects development • There are many ways to support a project beyond code
- 35. What Project? Choosing a project
- 36. Useful, engaging, interesting, innovative • The project should be something useful to some business need • You should have a personal interest in the projects goal • Solve an existing problem, or solve an old problem in an interesting way • Create something new
- 37. Types of projects •CakePHP • MySQL • Subversion • Linux
- 38. Community and publicimage (it's almost "marketing"... *shudder*)
- 39. Community appeal • Yourproject should fill a need that people have, and can build on. • Allow them to take ownership of something • Credit where credit is due • Kudos where kudos is due
- 40. You're being watched •The world is watching • Don't say negative things about your competitors • But... Benchmarks and facts are okay
- 41. Participate and engage •Visit your community • If its larger enough, consider starting a user group • If its going global, consider a conference • Its difficult to measure the benefits gained from people that meet and talk about your project in person.. Almost invaluable
- 42. Communicate • Learning tocommunicate effectively can be a better long term goal than programming • A good communicator can effectively coordinate developers and manage a project • Don't just talk lots. Learn to speak and write correctly
- 43. Communicate • Commit messages •Social media • Mailing lists • Blog posts • Documentation
- 44. Bad communication • 1337speak / Trendy short form • Vague • Aggressive • Dismissive
- 45. Good communication • Appreciative •Correct punctuation • Correct spelling • Correct grammar
- 46.