Opinion: Open source software is NOT free!

By Rick Lehrbaum
2000-11-05

Article Rating:

/ 0

Rate This Article:

Add This Article To:

"Open source software" -- also known as "free software" -- is NOT free.After all, it doesn't simply grow on trees. Lots of individuals and companies invest lots of hours -- and sweat -- in creating, testing, and maintaining that so-called "free" software.

So free software is not cost free. In that case, who pays for it? And who owns it?

The free software community pays, in a manner of speaking, for the development of free software. And, it's the free software community who owns the result.

Who belongs to this "free software community"? It's simple: everyone who develops or uses free software becomes part of the free software community. While the developer part of that statement is obvious, the user part may appear a bit less so. But the fact is, when you make the decision to use free software, you take ownership of that software, so you become a vested member of the free software community.

When your company decides to use free software as an alternative to purchasing proprietary software, you should also plan to contribute some amount -- either financially, or through resources -- to the development and maintenance of the free software pool. It simply makes sense -- good business sense -- to do so. Not as charity, or moral obligation, but as a pragmatic business strategy. After all, if your company was somehow the fortunate recipient of golden eggs laid by a magical goose, wouldn't it make good business sense to keep that valuable goose healthy?

What are some ways you or your company can help keep the free software goose (penguin?) well fed and healthy? Here are a few possibilities . . .

Sponsor an open source project, contribute financially to one, or allocate some staff time to assisting with development, testing, or maintenance of a particular open source project.
Release some piece of your company's technology as open source software under one of the Free Software Foundation's open source licenses (GPL or LGPL). In this way, you help grow the base of open source software and the number of applications it can support.
Develop a new piece of software using a collaborative, rather than proprietary, development process. You can, for example, solicit co-sponsors of a project that will be useful to your company, using one of the open source development sites (e.g. SourceForge).
Contribute a portion of your company's profits to the Free Software Foundation. Consider how much your company is saving by taking advantage of free software, and allocate some percentage of that amount as an investment in free software. No matter what form or amount you decide is right, the main thing is to realize that, ultimately, open source software is NOT free.

It simply makes good sense to keep the magical goose (penguin!) of open source software healthy. Good common sense. Good business sense.

Talkback! Do you have a comment or question on this article? talkback here

Discuss Opinion: Open source software is NOT free!

>>> Be the FIRST to comment on this article!

>>> More Linux For Devices Articles Articles >>> More By Rick Lehrbaum

Email Article To Friend ♦ Print Version Of Article ♦ PDF Version Of Article

FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.

Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.

Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.

Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.

High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.

Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.

Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.

Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.