Hi all, I'm very interested on this subject because I'm building a CMS/Portal solution with Microsoft.NET and C# (very embryonic). This solution would encompass my experience and all the needs that have been stated in this list since it at began. Furthermore I would not mind to put it in Open Source (driving a community of self motivated developers is just too exciting to miss the experience).
When you're building a product you do it with the purpose of solving a set of problems right? The question is how to fund that development? Open Source defenders usually argue that one can fund development by providing simply the means of Services. That is, one should charge for services (customization services, training etc) not for the product. Also they argue that the overall QOS can improve by opening the source code to a community of developers. That would be ok if all the money went to development of the product and consulting. The question I ask what about the cost of the selling process? Who will cover it? What about infrastructure, facilities, computers, phone bills, marketing, etc etc, how can I fund it without loosing money? The underlying assumption is that: 1) Services will pay for everything. 2) The community contributes with usable solutions lowering the cost of development. 3) The community also drives new business deals for the company sustaining the cost of development (The ring effect). The problems: 1) I can't raise the cost of services above the market in order to increase revenue. Not to mention the fact that I'm competing now with a community that my company drives with my software. I have more services only if I sell more, and I expand my sails team and marketing efforts if I increase revenue. 2) Well. If I ask the most successful Open Source CMS vendor for sure he would tell me that this particular intent one happened in less than a handful of cases in the life span of the company. Moreover the cost of integrating those solutions is not free. 3) I ask people who have used open source tools if they have and when actually forged new business deals and shared that synergy with the Open Source vendor. After all this would be an ethical concern due the fact that they could only present a solution because someone else was kind enough to provide the software for it. Today we leave in a world where business partnerships are of up most importance for driving business. The Open Source community is hardly acknowledged of doing it successfully (from 3). By successfully I mean to be one cornerstone of growth of a company actually providing the software. By growth I mean by increasing the software company revenue sustaining expansion (human resources, facilities, expertise, etc) by sharing business deals (no way jose). Yes the Open Source driven communities have successfully demonstrated the ability to share knowledge (mainly technical) and effectively steam "word of mouth" marketing at lower costs, but nothing more. What about money, yes a check signed and with fund? Nope. I say no money no growth. One interesting study could be in analyzing how much money actually these communities transact within themselves (I'm imagining almost nothing compared with the commercial counter parts). One can argue that some were successful, yes but so was Vignette (they were born almost at the same time). I respect developers very very much that open their sources and offer them for free (The Linux creator, Perl, Python, AWK, TeX/LateX, ouch so many). They believed in a dream and made it happen (nothing to do with money, pure kindness and brilliance). The question is where are they now? That is who is actually profiting from open source (they don't have the expensive cars, the big boats, nothing like that. They did it for the pure pleasure of building a technological tool). Bur someone is getting the money. I can say to you who is actually profiting, RedHat, Sun, Oracle, IBM, etc. A mix of some old and new kids on the block (more old then new nowadays). But were actually the persons that provided the software market with the kernel to make it happen making the same kind of money? No. The only really fair and ethical solution would be that the community (companies and solo developers using the software) to actually fund the development of Open Source products. The problem is that the community probably not interested. So it needs to be a solo investment from the mother of the Open Source product. Why? 1) The Community is the first not wanting to pay for it (as a monthly contribution, or subscription model). Or are they willing to? Usually these communities are made of developers (professional programmers, students, academics, etc) that think "Why should I pay for something that I feel that I can build". But in the other side they think, gosh I can use re-use this and spare a lot of time. The most common misperception of the cost of software development and maintenance. 2) Look I'm short of money too and I have customers that don't want to pay me either :) 3) I would be willing to pay if you had a bigger Market presence. That is your brand would allow me to use it in my services. But usually open source tools to not have much brand awareness outside the technical field so no can do. So the only option is that Services should drive the funding unless I have a guarding angel (a BIG company that is willing to invest). For that matter I'm financially alone in running against the BIG players in a sails lead (the community is the first not willing to invest). What do I care if millions use it for their own profit and good (the bottom line is that they use it for their own good rather then sharing the financial benefits and investment as I'm willing to do). I would be interest in hearing from people driving consulting businesses and developers willing to fund such a project and community. It would not be just another CMS but The Open Source CMS on Microsoft.NET. People (developers, consultants, etc) are saying "Open up Your Source". I ask, what is your interest? Are you willing to share the profit that you have around the software that I provide you? Probably not, but if you are give me a call I have an Open Source business model for you around a CMS System. Very simply the model is around "Help to pay the developers and technical editors and to sustain its growth" (Knowledge acquisition and expertise is expensive but if shared one can build very interesting things that talk directly to users, not just technical people). Best regards, Nuno Lopes Independent Consultant. -- http://cms-list.org/ trim your replies for good karma.
