We now live in a world where Open Source Software is as generally accepted as any commercial software. This doesn’t mean that there are lack of commercial aspects for OSS, because I’m here to tell you, Open Source is a perfectly viable business model. Don't worry! You don't have to sell your soul to the suits on Wall Street and give up on the core values of open source to make it work. I'm employed by a company that (hopefully) embodies these values with a lot of success. I’ve also interviewed many business leaders in Open Source companies. Let me share some of what I’ve learned so you too can be successful. The topics I will be covering:
- Picking the right open source license
- Business models for monetizing open source
- Engaging the community in a mutually beneficial way
- Competing with commercial alternatives
- The selling process (yes, we have to talk about that)
12. The Restrictives
License Can Can’t Must Special Case
GPLv2
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Place Warranty
• Sublicense
• Hold Liable
• Include Original
• Disclose Source
All changes have to stay GPL
GPLv3
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Place Warranty
• Sublicense
• Hold Liable
• Include Original
• Disclose Source
• State changes
Fixed “Tivo Hole” in GPLv2
AGPL
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Place Warranty
• Sublicense
• Hold Liable
• Include Original
• Disclose Source
• State changes
• Include Copyright
Made clause for “Network
Software”
Source: tldrlegal.com
Internal Use: Safe, SAAS Application: Warn,
Product Distribution: Danger
13. The Permissives
License Can Can’t Must Special Case
Apache
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Place Warranty
• Sublicense
• Private use
• Use Trademark
• Hold Liable
• Include Copyright
• Include License
• State Changes
• Include Notice
Provide a notice in each file
changed. Explicit patent
license from contibuter.
BSD
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Place Warranty
• Sublicense
• Use Trademark
• Hold Liable
• Include Copyright
Do anything you want, just
include the BSD copyright
MIT
• Commercial
• Modify
• Distribute
• Private use
• Sublicense
• Hold Liable
• Include Copyright
• Include License
Do whatever. Include license
and copyright
Internal Use: Safe, SAAS Application: Safe,
Product Distribution: Safe
Source: tldrlegal.com
22. Be an important part of
your projects community
Work together!
23. Being open and transparent
Talk about what you are doing
Acknowledge mistakes
Avoid the "hidden agenda"
24. Missteps
Eucalyptus Systems is pulled by Ubuntu
Eucalyptus was once "the" open source cloud computing project.
It was the core of Ubuntu's cloud strategy, and more or less the
only game in town. Unfortunately, it was not a particularly open
project. While most of the code was available under an open
source license, it wasn't developed in the open and failed to
develop much of a community…
!
Joe Brockmeier
Nov 17, 2011
32. Wrap up
Pick your license carefully
Product over services
Be good to your community
33. 50% off Training Day Pass
(~$350 value!)!
!
Discount Code: OSCON50!
*Valid through Thursday, July 24th!
!
Register: datastax.com/
cassandrasummit14
Exclusive OSCON Promotion
34. Thank you and good luck!
We’re hiring awesome engineers! Ask me about it.
!
Follow me for more musings
@PatrickMcFadin