Dustin Puryear wrote: > At 10:55 AM 7/4/2003 -0500, you wrote: > >> The move to free software will no more eliminate commercial software >> companies than publishing laws eliminates law firms or medical texts >> eliminates hospitals. Practical software companies will adopt free >> software and earn their living by implementing it for people. The >> threat we here from M$ and the RIAA, that without closed source and >> copyrights there would > > > Your comment about software companies making money by "implementing it > for people" brings up a good point. I don't think that a model based on > developers doing nothing but contract work is going to work, either for > them or the consumer. > > Let's say I am a potential client and I need some software. A word > processor would be a good example of this. So I get an open source > developer and contract them to build the software. Under this model the > client bears the entire cost of the development because the cost cannot > be spread across other clients (this is how mass-market commercial > software works). > > How do we make this kind of model affordable to the client? >
If there is a mass market for the software, it will be open sourced. e.g. word processor look at Open Office, KOffice, Abiword, Hancom Office etc If the software is singular to certain profitable markets, it might not be open sourced. e.g. point of sale, legal document production system integrated with document management system, etc If an open source programmer doesn't have a need for it why would he create the program OR if he thinks he can make money from it, why would he open source it?? I know we want to be idealist here, but reality sets in at the profit line. We are all human. Look at the open source antivirus programs available: Clam. Why so little? Open source programmers don't have much need for it AND if they produce it they can make money off it (e.g. RAV). There are only so many M$ haters and/or Linonuts out there who are willing to create open source software into a profitable market. -- Craig Jackson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
