Andrew Ho wrote:
> However, I think I am able to guess at the business plan of several
>projects and they seem pretty sound to me. :-)
> Some the the open source projects hope to make money from providing
>installation and maintenance service (e.g. FreePM). Some are pure-play
>freeware or pay-per-use (e.g. Horst's digital signatory). Some are aiming
>for world domination (e.g. GEHR, Odyssee, OIO). :-)
> I am not sure any of the projects are trying to raise money or seek
>investment from other companies. At least, I did not see your original
>solicitation as a request for proposal.
I agree that most of the people writting/running these projects are
probably doing so out of 'love' and enjoyment, and that the installation
and support should provide a sound renenue stream. I have (think anyway)
potential ideas for other streams and I guess I was trying to find out if
other people out there are just doing it all for fun and their own use or
come up with other ideas themselves.
I myself have been working in traditional healthcare software and see open
source as a way to make a real difference in the market, but to get there I
need to convince others, i.e. companies (including mine) to put backing
into it. And the sorts of investment companies we deal with don't want
small rewards - but to persuade them to part with their money ones needs a
strong case. (Traditional businesses do find it hard to understand how to
make money when you effectively give 'your' product away). At a simple
level, if I don't do some convincing soon I'll be back managing a billed
project full-time (and the rest) in a couple of weeks - and I'd like to
keep time for OS work. (and it's only loosely healthcare related) :-(
I hope it doesn't sound like I'm being selfish and trying to take over the
world. I'm in it for the love too, and if I can make a decent living from
doing what I love best (healthcare IT) and make a real difference then I'll
be even happier. :-)
Regards,
Sean
