Hi Luke,
Luke Youngblood wrote:
I don't mean to belittle the work you've done.
:)
Openfiler is a nice
project, and seems useful for a number of people, however, it is
basically simply a web GUI that builds text configuration files for
administrators that are too lazy to do so.
It also changes the way allocation of storage resources is achieved in a
networked environment - forcing the administrator into a best-practices
approach.
Every function of Openfiler
could be provided by CentOS on its own, provided you have the initiative
and the know-how to set it up on your own and edit the text files
yourself.
Absolutely. But that's a rather flawed argument if you ask me. Because
everything provided by CentOS could be provided by Linux From Scratch
provided you have the know-how to set it up on your own and the time to
spend reinventing the wheel :).
We all use software to solve specific problems and scratch specific
itches. Openfiler is just another layer in the pecking order of
solutions that are meant to make life easier for the admin that is
having to deal with so many things at once. The very fact that you are
participating in this discussion means Openfiler scratched an itch for
you. The original question is framed in the context of trying to find
out how valuable that scratching really is to you as a consumer of the
Openfiler Itch-Scratching Services ;)
I think you should build your model like this: Use the open-source
community to beta-test your product for you, and sell a hardware version
of that product for money.
As I pointed out in the original mail to the list, the project needs to
be self-funding.
The open-source community already
contributes bug reports
Yes and that's obviously valuable to the project. It is however a
symbiotic relationship.
Don't waste the good will you've generated so far by trying to charge
for Openfiler.
Openfiler will continue to be free to obtain and use.
Sell some good hardware solutions built on Openfiler,
and let the open-source community find bugs for you.
Just my 2 cents.
Your thoughts on the topic are useful to us and have helped immensely,
just as the comments of others have, in figuring out how best to proceed.
KR
Rafiu Fakunle
Openfiler Project
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rafiu
Fakunle
Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 10:55 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [OF-users] What would you pay for Openfiler?
Hi list,
With the pending release of Openfiler 2.0 Final, the Openfiler Project
will need to become self-funding. This basically means going commercial
as a standalone product.
Being Open Source, we believe the best way to achieve this is to charge
an annual subscription fee, much like a lot of other commercial Open
Source projects do.
The key question we need to address is what should the subscription fee
be?
As we work on how to arrive at a reasonable figure to charge, we thought
it would be a good idea to get a feel for what you, the Openfiler
community, would like to pay.
So we put it to you - what is Openfiler worth to you, and how much would
you like to pay for the continued development and support of the
software?
KR
Rafiu Fakunle
Openfiler Project
_______________________________________________
Openfiler-users mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.openfiler.com/mailman/listinfo/openfiler-users
_______________________________________________
Openfiler-users mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.openfiler.com/mailman/listinfo/openfiler-users
