Are people allowed to make open source software cost money

Retrieved June 15, Active 11 months ago. In these kinds of environments, code is reviewed and edited regularly so as to ensure its best iteration. You are not allowed to charge anything for the license. Because open source code is publicly accessible, students can easily study it as they learn to make better software. This new economy is already under development.

How do Open Source Companies and Programmers make money?

One way or another, everyone needs to eat — and that includes all of you open source people. Fortunately, there are as many ways to make money in the world of open source as there are people who try it. Here’s a run down of the top models. There are many different ways to approach making a living, or at least covering your costs, with open source. Still, there are some common business models that you’ll see throughout the open source marketplace.

Making Money by Giving Away Software

There is a common misconception that there is no money to be made in open source software. It is true that open source code is free to download, but you should think of this as an opportunity rather than a limitation. A sophisticated open source application like Zimbra may be free to download and install, but it is a complex piece of software. Setting it up requires expert knowledge. Maintaining the server over time can require someone with know-how.

Think about a business model from day one

There is a common misconception that there is no money to be made in open source software. It is true that open source code is free to download, but you should think of this as an opportunity rather than a limitation.

A sophisticated open source application like Zimbra may be free to download and install, but it is a complex piece of software. Setting it up requires expert knowledge. Are people allowed to make open source software cost money the server over time can require someone with know-how. Who better to turn to for this kind of support than the people who created the software? Many open source businesses sell their own support services and contracts. Much like commercial software support, these service contracts provide varying levels of support.

You can charge the highest rates for immediate phone support and offer lower rate plans for slower email-based support. Although the basic open source software may be free, you can create and sell add-ons that provide additional value.

For example, the open source WordPress blogging platform includes support for themes or visual layouts. Many free themes of varying quality are available. Either the original creators or third-parties can make and sell enhancements for open source projects, making this option a great opportunity for making money.

Some software projects are difficult to use without documentation. Making the source code available at no cost does not obligate you to give away the documentation. Consider the example of Shopp, an e-commerce plugin for WordPress.

Shopp is an open source project, but to access the documentation you need to pay for a license that provides entry into the website. It is eoftware — and perfectly legal — to set up a Shopp store using the source code without documentation, but it takes longer and you won’t know all the features available.

Even if you did not create the open source software, you can author a manual sharing your expertise and then nake that book either through e-publishing channels or traditional book peo;le.

Open source code is just that — source code. It must first be compiled into what is called a binary or machine pople. Binaries are specific to each operating. Depending on the source code and the operating system, compiling into binary ranges in difficulty from easy to difficult. Most open source licenses do not require the creator to give away free access to compiled binaries, only to the source code.

While anyone can download your source code and create their own binary, many people either don’t know how or won’t want to take the time. If you have the expertise to monney compiled binaries, you can legally sell access to these binaries for different operating systems, like Windows and macOS.

Sell your own expertise. If you are a developer with experience installing or customizing any open source application, then you have marketable skills. Businesses are always looking for project-basis help. Sites like Elance and Guru. You do not need to be the author of open source software to make money with it. Share Pin Email. Aaron Weiss. Updated November 30, Businesses that make money in open source software include:. Continue Reading. Learn about using open-source software for desktop publishing from Dan Fink.

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Support Contracts and Licenses

When you create a new project on GitHub, you have the option to make the repository private or public. It is emphatically not true of MIT-like licenses. While delivering a reliable service can be difficult — namely, packaging many open-source components together into one compelling, cloud-based offering — SaaS can be another route to revenue. This approach was used in several cases, for instance by Nvidia in their open-source graphic card device drivers. At MongoDB, we had a very successful salesperson are people allowed to make open source software cost money had previously started a sports-uniform business and another business to clean roof gutters. Longer term, your legal team can do more to help the company get more from its involvement in open source, and stay safe: Employee contribution policies: Consider developing a corporate policy that specifies how your employees contribute to open source projects. While some open source software may be free of charge, skill in programming and troubleshooting open source software can be quite valuable. Before you dig in, be sure to read our disclaimer. In fact, 67 percent of developers polled by Evans Data Corp reported that they spend some time developing open source software while at their primary job. Viewed 2k times. Software Corp. More permissive licenses make it easier to build large ecosystems. Communications on Law Stack Exchange are not privileged communications and do not create an attorney-client relationship.