Open Source Strategies for the Enterprise

Book excerpt: So you're thinking of creating an open source community around your code? Here are some things you ought to know before you make your plans too firm. Community Types: There is no single "open source community." Rather, there are many groups of people gathered around many free software commons. Those gatherings are themselves of several different types; you really need to understand those differences. Payment at the Point of Value: Open source is of course free software. But the freedom you're finding brings you value varies depending on the role you play with respect to the software. "Free" doesn't mean the same to everyone. Open Core Is Bad For You: The "open core" business model is popular with VC-funded startup companies but does not deliver the core freedoms from which lasting business value for customers is derived. Transparency and Privacy: The key success factor in an open source community is the equality of all the participants. A strong community is characterized by high levels of transparency about the project coupled with strong respect for the privacy of the participants. Read why you should not impose your business model on anyone.