Developer funding

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NormandC
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Re: Developer funding

Post by NormandC »

Clearly r.tec does not know or understand the distinction between open source software development and closed source freeware/shareware development.

Case in point: Red Hat, Inc. is a multinational software company that has built its whole business model on top of open source software. They had $1.5 billion revenue in 2014 yet everything they do (that I know of) is open source. They are the people behind Fedora, one of the oldest GNU/Linux distribution. They contribute to I don't know how many open source software.

They are the proof that making money from open source while contributing to it works.
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r.tec
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Re: Developer funding

Post by r.tec »

..okay, I really didn't know...
prokoudine
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Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:56 pm

Re: Developer funding

Post by prokoudine »

Regarding merchandise, I wouldn't put a lot of hope into that.

Exhibit A: Audacity, well-known free/libre multitrack audio editor. Closed its online merchandise shop some 5 or 6 years ago, because it made pretty much no profits, even though the project had tens, if not hundreds of thousands users around the world even back then.

Exhibit B: Blender, well-known free/libre 3D modeling/animation/vfx/etc. software. Makes a dime or two on merchandise. Revenue is mostly generated by selling DVDs with educational content and books.

Just some insight for your information and, possibly, entertainment :)
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