Venture capital plays an important role in open source: It funds startups innovative commercial open source products for the benefit of all as part of the equation. For venture capital to keep flowing, the startup needs to make money eventually, at a level similar to traditional software startups. This is always achieved by withholding something that is not made available for free, generically called “the complement” in this article. This is not human services (labor), because it doesn’t scale well. Rather, it is intellectual property, usually packaged today with machine services (computing). This does scale well.
Continue reading “What’s Next After “Source-Available”?”Open Source Hardware (Hannig & Teich, IEEE Computer Column)
I’m happy to report that the 17th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.
| Title | Open Source Hardware |
| Keywords | Open Source Hardware, Integrated Circuits, Ecosystems, Hardware, Open Source Software |
| Authors | Frank Hannig, Jürgen Teich |
| Publication | Computer vol. 54, no. 10 (October 2021), pp. 111-115 |
Abstract: Hardware that can be manufactured from free and open source descriptions has gained a lot of momentum. This article gives a general introduction, focusing on electronics and integrated circuits, corresponding open ecosystems and organizations, and highlights benefits and challenges.
As always, the article is freely available (local copy).
Also, check out the full list of articles.
Making Open Source Project Health Transparent (Goggins et al., IEEE Computer Column)
I’m happy to report that the 16th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.
| Title | Making Open Source Project Health Transparent |
| Keywords | Open source software |
| Authors | Sean P. Goggins, Matt Germonprez, Kevin Lumbard |
| Publication | Computer vol. 54, no. 8 (August 2021), pp. 104-111 |
Abstract: This article explores the Community Health Analytics for Open Source Software (CHAOSS) project and how it plays an integral role in the automation of key measures to make the state of open source readily observable.
As always, the article is freely available (local copy).
Also, check out the full list of articles.
Advice to Students on When to Start Your Company
I was listening to Dave Kellog and Thomas Otter’s most enjoyable The SaaS Product Power Breakfast podcast, this time about a VC-turned-entrepreneur (in his fourties), and it reminded me about advice that I give to my students. Heads-up: The funniest ageist comment by a student, ever.
Continue reading “Advice to Students on When to Start Your Company”Open Source Software Engineering the Eclipse Way (Wayne Beaton, IEEE Computer Column)
I’m happy to report that the 15th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.
| Title | Open Source Software Engineering the Eclipse Way |
| Keywords | – |
| Authors | Wayne Beaton, The Eclipse Foundation |
| Publication | Computer vol. 54, no. 6 (June 2021), pp. 59-63 |
Abstract: This article explains how open source software development works at the Eclipse Foundation. It dives into engineering best practices, providing insights from one of the most successful open source foundations of today.
As always, the article is freely available (local copy).
Also, check out the full list of articles.
The Wrong First Question: Which Open Source License?
When thinking about creating an open source project, starting with the question which license to choose is the wrong approach. Rather, you should ask yourself: Why am I creating this open source project and what do I want to achieve with it? Once you have settled this question, you can use the following simplified cheat sheet:
Continue reading “The Wrong First Question: Which Open Source License?”When Does Public Funding Trump Venture Capital?
The short answer: As long as you don’t have product market fit. In more detail:
Continue reading “When Does Public Funding Trump Venture Capital?”Podcast on Product Management and Commercial Open Source
Thomas Otter and Dave Kellogg of The SaaS Product Power Breakfast had me join their show and discuss product management, commercial open source, and cloud service strategies. It is out already as a podcast (local copy). Check it out and make sure to subscribe to their show!
Show notes
There were a couple of references in the show you might like to have the links to.
- The commercial open source course as taught at UC Santa Cruz, starting June 21st, 2021.
- Our Harvard business school type free teaching cases for product management.
If I missed a link, let me know, and I’ll add it.
The Future Resurgence of Copyleft
In 2009, half of open source code was licensed under the GPLv2 license, the canonical copyleft license. Every other license had less than 10% market share. Over the years, the MIT license and other permissive licenses kept climbing at the expense of the GPLv2. As of today, the MIT license is the leading license with more than 32% market share in absolute numbers, with the GPLv2 license having fallen below 20%.
Continue reading “The Future Resurgence of Copyleft”HarmonyOS, Android, and a Radio Interview
I was interviewed by Lovis Krüger German radio broadcaster WDR on Huawei’s HarmonyOS and the industry strategies around it. Two audio statements made it into the show: (1) HarmonyOS uses a lot of open source software and (2) Huawei can’t use the Android trademark without Google’s permission. So I thought I provide my notes here.
Continue reading “HarmonyOS, Android, and a Radio Interview”