Where $$$ comes from -annoying friends-

[alkalinelito]

I have been using linux/GNU since a while, and i have friends that always ask, what is all that GNU and free software stuff, What the softeware devolopers gets for doing programs if is all free? , where linus torbras ( yes i know i write it wrong, anyway, the guy who started linux) get money for linux, if is all "free". I never know exactly what to answer without a long answer, anyone can give me, a "short" answer for answering this ?

[subnet_rx]

well, first, open-source doesn't necessarily mean free. Red Hat and a lot of other ppl made a pretty penny on their "open-source" software, and I commend them.

second, some do it as a hobby (yes, some people find coding and showing their skills off.....fun)

third, for the glory. Linus Torvalds is known around the world, and I'm sure he isn't hurting for money. Why? You build it, make it open-source, but that doesn't necessarily mean people can follow your work. What can they do? Pay you to show them and provide support :)


That'd be my answer. the open source movement shouldn't be about free software, it should be about the free exchange of ideas. If I come up with a better way to do something, why keep it to myself? Someone else could take that and take me and my software in new directions that make it even more superior. Not a short answer, but I'm sure you can grab stuff out of this.

[alkalinelito]

But Linus gets anymoney out of this ?
from where/who , all the distributors -red hat, etc- , should pay him something ?

[subnet_rx]

I'm sure ppl donate money to him and his organization just like ppl give money to Osama Bin Laden and never see anything back from it. They just support the movement. And he gets paid for speaking engagements, etc.

And with Red Hat's avid support for Open Source, I'm sure money comes from them too.

[ 04 October 2001: Message edited by: subnet_rx ]

[Malakin]

Linus has a job where he works on Linux technologies for a company and get's paid like normal. If he ever lost his job there would be dozens of companies begging for him of course. I can't see him having any financial problems.

Not everyone is obsessed with money. Linus has helped make this world a better place, his name will go down in history as being a great person.

You could compare this with Bill Gates who has more monney but will be well known for running a ruthless monopoly and driving hard working business startups into the ground with illegal monopolistic techniques while his CEO is busy dancing around like a monkey on a stage somewhere yelling "give it up for me!"

ok so I couldn't resist the sarcastic comparison, but you get the point :)

[ 04 October 2001: Message edited by: Malakin ]

[Rob 'Feztaa' Park]

Originally posted by alkalinelito:
<STRONG>But Linus gets anymoney out of this ?
from where/who , all the distributors -red hat, etc- , should pay him something ?</STRONG>

The "free" in free software means that the source code is free from it's creators, but the product itself is not necessarily free from money.

So, it is possible to see free software that you have to pay for; it is called free because you get the source code with it, and you can modify it to your liking.

And although a lot of companies give away linux for free, a lot of companies also make money on linux by either a) selling boxed packages of it, or b) offering technical support for money.

So, yes, linux is free. But you can still make money with it.

[Nekopa]

Like they say on the GNU homepage

Free as in free speech, not free beer

Free Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org)

Lee

[Craig McPherson]

Free software developers write software so that they can use it. They have a need for a particular piece of software that doesn't exist, so they write it, and make the source available so that anyone else in the same situation can use it. Necessity is the mother of invention. What they "get out of it" is software they can use. Free software developers don't write software that they personally don't need/want to use.

Your question is like asking "When people grow gardens without being paid for it, what do they get out of it?" Fruits and vegetables, of course.

Of course, some companies (http://redhat.com/) have taken the idea to an unusual level by creating software that nobody would want to use.

[alkalinelito]

What's wrong with Red Hat ?

[MandK_10]

I personally have found that RedHat is the best distro for my needs and there are enough people that believe this that RedHat is still in business and doing well enough.

Of course, some companies have taken the idea to an unusual level by creating software that nobody would want to use.

But you have to realize that this critisism came from an advocate of Adequacy.org

[ 05 October 2001: Message edited by: MandK_10 ]

[Craig McPherson]

Originally posted by MandK_10:
<STRONG>there are enough people that believe this that RedHat is still in business and doing well enough.</STRONG>

Absolutely!!

http://cchart.yimg.com/z?s=rhat&a=v&p=s&t=2y&l=off&z=m&q=l

Well, they could always be worse off:

http://cchart.yimg.com/z?s=lnux&a=v&p=s&t=2y&l=off&z=m&q=l

Mommy, what does "delisting" mean? :D :D :D

[subnet_rx]

wrong, this is obviously someone that doesn't know about the stock market. At 3.50, Red Hat is only 30 times projected earnings for the next fiscal year. And that's considering moderate growth. Those inflated prices were due to inflated expectations, and I can show you the same chart for companies like Yahoo, and Cisco

Anyone that is smart knows that Red Hat showing it can make money from Linux is the only thing that will get Linux some popularity. And Red Hat is total open source.

[ 05 October 2001: Message edited by: subnet_rx ]