Re: An OSS living

[Behdad Esfahbod <behdad behdad org>]

On 04/07/2009 06:22 PM, joshua rh comcast net wrote:
> Hello,
> I recently had a spirited debate with a friend about proprietary
> software. His main thing about it was: it's where we make our money as
> developers. My arguments were: better software, more potential, more
> compatibility, and doing what you like to do. Most of his questions
> we're something to the effect of this: How can you make a living when
> your software is free? I too would like to know if any of you out there
> make a good living developing open source software, it seems like what I
> want to do, but I don't quite know where I would make my money (I know
> Canonical does support for Ubuntu) developing open source software.
>
> Joshua.rh

Hi Joshua,

The reasoning behind "How can you make a living when your software is free?" 
is like saying "How can Google make money when their search is free?".  See 
what I mean?  Sure, their search is free, but developers writing it get paid 
by Google.  Google earns money by selling ads.

For example, I write GNOME libraries, Red Hat pays me.  Red Hat has an 
interest for GNOME to advance, because that's what it includes in its 
products.  Red Hat then gives this software away for free, but earns money by 
selling subscription / support / training / etc.

There are companies using GNOME on mobile devices like internet tablets, GPS 
devices, educational devices, or even breast cancer detection devices.  These 
companies need to enhance GNOME in various ways to suite their needs better. 
So they either hire GNOME developers, or contract them.  The GNOME contracters 
go ahead and start their own company, and hire other GNOME developers.  That's 
how we ended up with so many small European GNOME shops in the past few years.

Google has thousands of developers writing C code.  They have a vested 
interest in improving the C compiler they use, which happens to be gcc.  So 
when they hire gcc developers to improve gcc, they pay them, and Google as 
well as the community enjoys a better gcc as a result.


In short, there are more ways to make money than selling software.  There's 
lots of good stuff to read about this online.  Just Google around.

Hope that helps,

behdad