On 08/08/15 04:01, Mike Gerwitz wrote:
* Even if they one day want to sell this software, keeping it Free
will actually make it easier.
I'm not sure about "easier". I'm not an economist or business
strategist, and I'd be absolutely terrible at selling software; but
business models vary widly---some find great success in selling free
software, while others find great difficulty (support contracts are
one
common option).
Another great point. What are some good examples of both very
successful and dismal failures of building a business around Free
Software? The closest I've found is on Wikipedia, which is
unfortunately geared towards open source software:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_models_for_open-source_software
Wouldn't it be cool to have an equivalent list for Free Software? A
few off the top of my head are crowdfunding, donations, paid support,
or paid code bounties. But many of them don't provide a steady income
to feed developer(s). Any other good examples?
(I know making money is not the main point of Free Software, but
having such a list will help alleviate one of the most common concerns
people have when first introduced to Free Software)
I'd love to help develop an Wikipedia page like the above, but for
Free Software.