Post on 16-Jan-2016
description
How can we make a livingif we give it all away?
Mike TaylorIndex Data
mike@indexdata.com
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
It's not about “Why open source?” any more.
It's about “How open source?”
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
It's not about “Why open source?” any more.
It's about “How open source?”
“Won't programmers starve?”
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
But briefly on “why” ...
“Six Myths” countered by Ingres1. OS is a niche IT sector2. OS cannot support mission-critical applications3. OS companies do not own their intellectual property4. OS technology does not offer professional level support5. OS is unregulated and anyone can contribute code6. OS software is not secure
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
But briefly on “why” ...
“Six Myths” countered by Ingres1. OS is a niche IT sector2. OS cannot support mission-critical applications3. OS companies do not own their intellectual property4. OS technology does not offer professional level support5. OS is unregulated and anyone can contribute code6. OS software is not secure
Remember, this was Ingres, not Index Data!
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
The key question:
How can we make a living if we give it away?
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
The key question:
How can we make a living if we give it away?
Because after we give it away,we still have it!
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
After we give it away, we still have it
This only works because copying is zero-costfor software.
Because copying is expensive for hardware,it took people a long time to grasp this.
(And even now, not everyone gets it.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Another take on the key question:
How can we make a living if we give it away?
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Another take on the key question:
How can we make a living if we give it away?
It depends on what you mean by “it”.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
It depends on what you mean by “it”.
In fact, we don't give away ownership of thesoftware, and we don't give away our time.
We just give away a perfect copy.
We still own the software – no-one can sella proprietary derivative.
(The GNU GPL makes this very clear.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So what is the point of open source?
It changes the vendor/customer relationship
No longer adversarial but in partnership.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So what is the point of open source?
It changes the vendor/customer relationship
No longer adversarial but in partnership.
We make a living by giving you what you want
Proprietary software earns money by denyingyou what you want.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Free as in freedom
Free speech vs. free beer.
Free beer is bad for the barman, but freespeech is good for everyone.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Free as in freedom
Free speech vs. free beer.
Free beer is bad for the barman, but freespeech is good for everyone.
(Except George W. Bush, of course.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Information wants to befree
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Information wants to betied up and spanked
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Information wants to beanthropomorphised
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for customers?
* No vendor lock-in
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for customers?
* No vendor lock-in* Change the product yourself
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for customers?
* No vendor lock-in* Change the product yourself* No product end-of-life
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for customers?
* No vendor lock-in* Change the product yourself* No product end-of-life* Level playing field
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for customers?
* No vendor lock-in* Change the product yourself* No product end-of-life* Level playing field* Open source => open standards
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for us?
* Our customers trust us (in the post-FUD era)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for us?
* Our customers trust us (in the post-FUD era)* We don't spend on closed-source overheads
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for us?
* Our customers trust us (in the post-FUD era)* We don't spend on closed-source overheads* We catalyse contributions
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for us?
* Our customers trust us (in the post-FUD era)* We don't spend on closed-source overheads* We catalyse contributions* We get to make cool things
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Back down to earth – some practicalities
What's in it for us?
* Our customers trust us (in the post-FUD era)* We don't spend on closed-source overheads* We catalyse contributions* We get to make cool things* It's just a better way to live
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Perhaps an important question librariansshould now be asking their vendors is:“Who are the highest paid the people inyour organization? Your salespeople oryour service people?”
– Carl Grant.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Perhaps an important question librariansshould now be asking their vendors is:“Who are the highest paid the people inyour organization? Your salespeople oryour service people?”
– Carl Grant.
(Since I am not a sales person, I want the answer to be “support people”.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)* Hosted solutions (small but growing)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)* Hosted solutions (small but growing)* Custom development
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)* Hosted solutions (small but growing)* Custom development* Support
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)* Hosted solutions (small but growing)* Custom development* Support* Training
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
So how do we actually make money?
* Sponsored development of core tools* Integration (e.g. with existing auth systems)* Hosted solutions (small but growing)* Custom development* Support* Training* Non-free licences for proprietary derivatives
(only works with GPL.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Software is largely a service industryoperating under the persistent butunfounded delusion that it is amanufacturing industry.
– Eric S. Raymond.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Software is largely a service industryoperating under the persistent butunfounded delusion that it is amanufacturing industry.
– Eric S. Raymond.
IBM understand this.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Software is largely a service industryoperating under the persistent butunfounded delusion that it is amanufacturing industry.
– Eric S. Raymond.
IBM understand this.Anyone who doesn't, provides lousy service.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
“Do not underestimatethe power of the dark side”
We will never get very rich through OS.
You can only do that by selling the same thingmany times.
We only get paid for work that we actually do.
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
The temptation to go proprietary
We have tried this a couple of times:* Z'mbol* Metaproxy
It just makes us miserable.Showed us the costs of not being open.
(But we might do it again one day, given the right product.)
How can we make a living? Mike Taylor, Index Data, mike@indexdata.com
Summary
* Software is more about service than product* Giving away product costs us very little
(probably less than nothing)* This catalyses service contracts* The vendor-customer relationship is
completely different in OS projects.