By now, I thought it would be self-evident how to derive revenue from open source software platforms. But alas, no. Despite the fact that the success of open source software eerver unparalleled and dominates the global software industry, there are still far too many startups repeating the same mistakes from a thousand startups past. Since then, every single area of innovation in computing is now dominated by the open source platforms among us. From operating systems, virtualization and withh to big data, cloud management, and mobile computing, chances are good that innovation is happening on an open source platform. I hesitate to think what would happen to the global economy should open source software be suddenly made inaccessible think financial collapse and societal unrest on a biblical scale. Despite this massive libux, there is something missing from the world of open source: successful open source companies. These companies, while successfully attracting large communities of users and developers, were not sustainable, revenue-wise.
Last week’s article on Linux for older hardware set a new record for Linux-related articles, in that I did not get even one threatening letter. I did, however, get a bunch of email asking business-related questions about Linux and open source. A reader named Hermann sent me a comment that serves as a good starting point: «I don’t see how these Linux and open source companies can afford to make good software and still make it free. Hermann has a point, but it turns out there are a lot of ways to make money from free software. Let’s start with the issue of demand. The more specialized a type of software is, the fewer users there will be. Generally, the fewer users, the smaller the market opportunity. The smaller the market opportunity, the fewer the number of companies that will invest in developing applications of that type. David Gewirtz was a director of the Software Entrepreneurs’ Forum, an executive at Symantec, had the title of «Godfather» at Apple, and ran an award-winning tech company for 20 years. Now, he’s here to help you start your own software business.
Yes, you can make money of free software
Buckle up! Read More. Usage areas with very few users have very few developers who are willing to invest. But applications like office suites, which are dominated by a few incredibly powerful players, also have very few companies creating them although they tend to spawn substantial aftermarket ecosystems of add-on products.
Yes, you can make money of free software
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Are They Making Money?
They go for niche markets and ask tons of money per license. Although the basic open source software may be free, you can create and sell add-ons that provide additional value. Setting it up requires expert knowledge. All rights reserved. Im with Roptaty on this one. You can charge the highest rates for immediate phone support and offer lower rate plans for slower email-based support. The software you pay for will remain covered by its open source license, but you will have the features you need, at probably a fraction of linyx cost of building the project from scratch. Many free themes of varying quality are available. Maintaining the server over time can require someone with know-how. Aaron Weiss.
Real people making real money in a huge ecosystem
Open source enthusiasts believe that better software can result from an open source software development model than from proprietary development models.
So in theory, any company creating software for its own use can save money by adding its software contributions to those of others to gain a much better end product for themselves. Companies that want to make money selling software need to be more creative than they did in the old days.
While you can sell the software you create that includes GPL software, you must pass the source code of that software forward. Of course, others can then recompile that product, basically using your product without charge. Here are a few ways that companies are dealing with that issue:.
For a certain amount of money per year, you get binary code to run Linux so you don’t have to compile it yourselfguaranteed support, tools for tracking the hardware and software on your computer, and access to the company’s knowledge base. While Red Hat’s Fedora project includes much of the same software and is also available in binary form, there are no guarantees associated with the software or future updates of that software. A small office or personal user might take the risk on Fedora which is itself an excellent operating system but a big company that’s make money with linux server mission-critical applications will probably put down a few dollars for RHEL.
Amazingly, many open source projects support one or two developers and run exclusively on donations. Let’s say that you are using XYZ software package and you need a new feature right away. By paying a software bounty to the project itself, or to other software developers, you can have your needed improvements moved to the head of the queue. The software you pay for will remain covered by its open source license, but you will have the features you need, at probably a fraction of the cost of building the project from scratch.
If you really love a project, for goodness sake, buy a T-shirt! This is in no way an exhaustive list, because more creative ways are being invented every day to support those who create open source software. Remember that many people have become contributors to and maintainers of open source software because they needed or wanted the software themselves.
The contributions they make for free are worth the return they get from others who do the. Related Category Make Money. Post a comment Name Comment it up
Actually, you can even make more money with Open Source than what you could make in an average well-paid Silicon Valley job. Its as real as it gets with numbers, with actual people and seever businesses to prove it. In the past two decades, Open Source has become an immense ecosystem which empowers its participants and liberates them from their constraints in all respects — not make money with linux server from proprietary, controlled platforms but also especially financially. Today, Open Source now has many business models to make money and develop in sustainable fashion.
A wide, wide world
You are not obliged to await donations anymore. One of the many Open Source business models will surely fit your application makd your future vision about your business. To top that, the Open Source ecosystem is now huge. It became so huge that its not far off to say that it is practically the linix of Internet.
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