19
04/07
11:01 am
Who needs money? I’m going Open Source!
People are constantly talking about monetizing their web applications. Scott wrote a great article about offering his software as a service. I started my blog on that note too, but have decided to change direction.
As most of the regular readers know, I’ve been hiding under a rock working slowly, quietly and secretly on a web application for IT people. People like me.
In the last few weeks, I realized some important things which have somewhat helped me redefine what I want out of all this.
To be honest, like many people, I want a lot of things: money, fame, power, knowledge, experience, x-ray vision. After discussing with a few friends, Jason and Barry, I realized that money is not the most important thing, even though it’s first on my list. Wealth, as defined by Paul Graham, seems to encompass every element on my “want” list. The idea of creating something that provides real value, to people, is what draws me to the world of web application development, be it open source or not.
Ultimately, what I really want is to help people who face situations similar to mine. I want to make people’s lives easier. I think my little web applications and contributions to the community will help me achieve that goal. I don’t think selling it is the right path towards that.
I’ve been using Open Source software for something like 10 years… and what I noticed is that it has often directly and indirectly helped me stay alive and pay the bills.
I think it’s time for me to give back to the world. I think it’s time for me to join the ranks of people like Derek Allard, who writes Open Source (FREE) software for himself, and anyone who could use it.
I love that model. I’ve always loved it. It has always helped me and I think it will for many years to come. So what’s wrong with giving back?
How will I make money?
I also strongly believe in Karma. I think if i’m able to help people in their daily lives, the money will follow. I will obviously accept and encourage donations, but will not force anyone into it. I like getting my hands dirty and crunching through small projects, like I did for LeBloke. I also love consulting for clients and helping them improve their workflow in their commercial environment (well configured networks and servers)… especially when they pay promptly ;)
With that in mind, I plan to continue freelancing to “pay the bills”. I eventually hope to achieve my monthly income goals through the development, support and services offered through (and thanks to) the Open Source applications created by my company, Comma Induced Software.
Am I crazy?
Yes! But I don’t care. In the last 4 months, my web project has brought me exactly $0. Like Barry, Nate and their Scrawlers project, this project is not costing me anything more than time.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Scott Meade
April 19, 2007
12:43 pm
Alex – Right on! Like you, I believe that if you offer something open source that people find interesting, valuable, and helpful; and if you find it interesting and rewarding then the reward will follow. And you will not have to “sell”, in the traditional sense. In a sustainable open source model, your expertise as the “creator” and maintainer can become very valuable. Plus, it just feels good to give back.
Are you considering creation of a new open source project or a series of contributions to existing open source projects (or both?).
Barry Hess
April 19, 2007
12:54 pm
Interesting decision – I like it! I think you’re right on with the “Karma” statement. These type of things contribute to uncovering interesting work.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the project evolves. Too bad you didn’t go Rails, then maybe I could help. *jab* :)
Alex
April 19, 2007
8:53 pm
Yes! I’m really excited about this!
Scott, to answer your question, I am going to create a new open source project AND contribute to an existing one. I’ve already discussed a bit with Derek about working on BambooInvoice. I especially like the fact that his app and mine are both based on Code Igniter’s framework.
Thanks for your comments guys!
heri
April 20, 2007
6:46 am
Hi there,
SugarCRM and Red Hat are profitable companies with open source products. so that’s a proof that the open source model works. they sell support, expert services, consulting, and let the developers tweak, test and add new features.
if you have something to show and want to become a local star, it would be a good idea to show it at barcamp (saturday 28th at SAT).
ok i exagerate with the ’star’ thing, but i am sure you will find many developers and entrepreneurs who would be willing to help or partner with you.
cheers
Jackson
April 21, 2007
4:19 am
Maybe you don’t need money, but another developer may need money. By releasing your software as open source (and, for practical purposes, that means it will be free as in price=0), you are destroying a market niche. In the future, it will be much harder for another developer (who may need money, unlike you) to come up with a product and sell it.
Don’t expect sympathy for this.
Alex
April 21, 2007
8:34 am
I had a feeling this would be a controversial decision.
Jackson: If a developer decides to take my software, modify and improve it for his organization, and in-turn gets to keep his job for an extra year, or gets promoted to management for saving the company money, does that mean I prevented him from making any money?
There is no such thing as destroying a niche. If anything, i’ll be growing it. Look at what BSD did for Apple, or Linux for RedHat.
Sure I may seem like i’m getting the short end of the stick, but that’s my problem not yours or anyone else’s.
Derek Allard
April 22, 2007
5:25 pm
There are other benefits to open source. I built Bamboo as largely a “because I wanted it” application, then decided afterwards to release it GPL. The best thing about that decision has been the emails I get from people saying “hey, love Bamboo and just wanted to say thanks”. Those make my day.
More directly, releasing BambooInvoice and being active in an open source community got me hired by EllisLab sight-unseen, and has led to many other profitable contracts.
@Jackson: a cost of $0 does not mean you can’t earn money and/or build utility. There are loads of examples that prove this, think Mozilla.
Alex
April 23, 2007
6:24 pm
@Heri: I don’t think I have enough to show yet. I want to set this up as a company offering open source software, as opposed to just some guy in a garage (studio).
@Derek: I think you slightly influenced my decision ;)
And thanks to all the others who support my decision.
Time will tell how this will work out.