101 Ways to Make Money off Open Source


The list "101 Reasons Why Java is Better than .NET" was such a hit that even a vendor of .NET based software wrote that it was a source of "101 Product Ideas". 

That motivated me to put together another list. Lately, I've been thinking of how to make money on open source Java.  I asked a supposed expert, but he didn't answer. So I decided to consult the Hive Mind by building a list. I hope to get a lot of creative contributions.  It's the "Lazy Web" in action! 

So why 101, well just like with my previous list the reasons are the same.  "101 reasons is actually a pretty ambitious number, however its always good to aim high first.  If you don't succeed you could always relax the criteria for success! "  So here's the latest accumulated list: 

  1. Sell the Reference Manual ( JBoss)
  2. Sell a subscription of the documentation (CDN)
  3. Sell the Installer (Out of the Box)
  4. Sell Custom Software Development (CDN)
  5. Sell Pre-Integrated Applications (JCorporate, RedHat ACS)
  6. Sell "Enterprise" version. (WSAD, Sun Studio)
  7. Sell Extensions (Instantiations, Embarcadero, SlickEdit )
  8. Sell a Consumer Device (Tivo)
  9. Sell Proprietary Software by improving Open Source Software (Poseidon)
  10. Sell Code Management Services (Sourceforge, Sourcecast)
  11. Sell Hosting Services (JCentric, WebApp Cabaret, EApps)
  12. Sell an Application Service Provider (?)
  13. Sell Conferences (JBoss)
  14. Charge for changing the License (SOFIA)
  15. Sue people using Open Source (SCO)
  16. Publish books for Open Source (Oreilly, Manning, Wiley)
  17. Sell A Book (Jason Hunter, Martin Fowler)
  18. Sell Development Tools (see Adalon, Camino for Struts)
  19. Sell a Magazine (Open source magazine)
  20. Sell Business Applications (Compiere, Ofbiz)
  21. Sell Speaking Engagements (NFJS)
  22. Sell Open Source Migration Services
  23. Sell White Box Hardware (Penguin)
  24. Sell A Subscription Plan for Integrated Components (MyEclipse)
  25. Sell A Network Appliance (SourceFire)
  26. Sell Project Management Services (Assembla)
  27. Sell Training (CDN)
  28. Sell Adverstising (SourceForge, Javalobby, TheServerSide)
  29. Sell A Proprietary Product, Advertise using Open Source (RefactorIT)
  30. Sell Computer Time (Internet Cafe)
  31. Sell Gaming Time (?)
  32. Sell Proprietary Software built using Open Source Software Tools (Ant, JUnit, Eclipse)
  33. Sell Proprietary Software Bundling Open Source Software (WebMethods, Cysive)
  34. Sell Support and Maintenance Plans (JBoss)
  35. Sell Certification (JBoss)
  36. Sell Systems Administration Services
  37. Sell On-Site Consulting and Coaching (CDN)
  38. Sell Remote Debugging and Trouble Shooting (CDN) [duplicate of 34?]
  39. Sell Open Source Application Specialized for a Particular Domain (Timesys for Realtime domains, Xemo for Music)
  40. Sell Accessories ( ThinkGeek , JoyOfTech )
  41. Sell Network Usage ( iMode )
  42. Solicit Donations
  43. Sell Glue to tie it all together (10xSoftware, platinum solutions )
  44. Sell PDAs (Sharp)
  45. Sell Cellphones (Motorola Linux based)
  46. Sell Insurance (Open Source Risk Management)

If you were observant enough, you would notice that the list has a slant towards Java open source projects.  That's just my bias.


support

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2003-12-30 09:20 PM

Open source support is the biggest of all

Build "solutions" using open source

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2004-03-03 11:49 AM

Build web sites and such using open source products. Since many of these are fixed cost projects, using say, Tomcat instead of Weblogic saves a bundle. This may not be as obviously open source as selling support, far more money is being made this way. Look at IBM.

Ransom-ware

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2004-06-02 04:02 PM

What about ransom-ware? Make open source code and get people to help pay for new features.

Caffine

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2004-10-12 08:46 AM

sell caffine to open source developers.

sell mailing list

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2004-12-09 11:23 PM

Collect e-mailing addresses during downloads. And sell the list to spammers

Example of ASP

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2005-02-03 08:36 AM

livejournal.com is hosting livejournal open source personal publishing platform.

livejournal has just been purchased by SixApart.

this article just proves the point

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2005-06-07 11:51 AM

that open source software is not a viable product in and of itself; in other words, if the direct revenue from your open source software is zero, then the value of the software is zero. This does not negate the cost of developing the software, so essentially open source software is being used as a loss leader to attract customers, who are then gigged for add-on services, enhancements, customization, support, etc.

Making Revenues from Open Source

Posted by Anonymous User Anonymous User at 2006-07-26 02:34 AM

Nice article, thanks

Making revenues from free & open source software is one of the most frequently asked questions these days. While there have been a few successful examples of companies (like MySQL, Red Hat etc) which are making money, I’d surmise that these are still very early days for open source revenue & profit models.

While open source as an operational paradigm certainly has been having exceptional success against proprietary and closed-software models in the recent past, in my opinion, a lot more thought need to be given and experimentations done before the emergence of viable revenue models for the free & open source models that can successfully compete with the current proprietary software revenue model. Some specifics of the business models are emerging fast, but it will take a few years for the market to test each of these out and hopefully, the fittest will survive.

A site that focuses exclusively on revenue models from open source is Follars.com – Free, Open-source Dollars!

Ec @ IT, Software Database @ eIT.in

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