From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,d311338eabd7ca93 X-Google-NewGroupId: yes X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,domainid0,public,usenet X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII Received: by 10.68.135.231 with SMTP id pv7mr10873799pbb.8.1328524806310; Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:40:06 -0800 (PST) Path: lh20ni266485pbb.0!nntp.google.com!news1.google.com!postnews.google.com!o20g2000yqh.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail From: Ludovic Brenta Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Compiler business prospects Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 02:40:05 -0800 (PST) Organization: http://groups.google.com Message-ID: References: <4f27e278$0$6549$9b4e6d93@newsspool4.arcor-online.net> <12716838.1333.1328020580723.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@prhq14> <82fwetfu0r.fsf@stephe-leake.org> <8739atjijy.fsf@ludovic-brenta.org> <08d75622-44ae-407f-8cac-755874c2d48d@eb6g2000vbb.googlegroups.com> <82lioiuqrz.fsf@stephe-leake.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: 153.98.68.197 Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Trace: posting.google.com 1328524806 30663 127.0.0.1 (6 Feb 2012 10:40:06 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:40:06 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: o20g2000yqh.googlegroups.com; posting-host=153.98.68.197; posting-account=pcLQNgkAAAD9TrXkhkIgiY6-MDtJjIlC User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-Google-Web-Client: true X-Google-Header-Order: HUALESRCNK X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:9.0.1) Gecko/20111222 Firefox/9.0.1,gzip(gfe) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: 2012-02-06T02:40:05-08:00 List-Id: On Feb 5, 12:23=A0am, Stephen Leake wrote: > Erich writes: >>> See http://fosdem.org/2012/schedule/event/keynotes_model_success >>> >>> You *can* sell GPL software and make a profit. That's just a fact. >> >> I really didn't want to get into this discussion but I have to reply >> to this, because your claim is completely misleading. The talk you >> link to is about AdaCore. Sure you can make money with business-to- >> business software, especially when it involves very special know-how, >> but you do *not* make the money by selling the software. You are paid >> for the consulting, product service, and maintenance and *not* for the >> software. > > +2 > Ludovic, you were spreading FUD. No. The FUD is in thinking *a priori* that this business model is "impossible" and presenting that as a "fact". What I said was not FUD, it was perfectly correct and it is a proven fact that one can sell libre software and make a living, like AdaCore has proven for decades. However this is not true in all cases as Robert Dewar himself admitted during his keynote speech at FOSDEM this Saturday. One case where this business model is not sustainable is when the product is expensive to make but must be sold at a low price; this is true of movies and video games among other things. It was not obvious from the OP that he was envisioning selling cheap software for consumers. The fact that he wants to run a small company does not imply that the products inexpensive; I myself have worked and still work in a small company selling expensive products and services to big corporate customers. I believe this is in fact the case of many regulars of comp.lang.ada. More generally, I personally believe that small companies cannot compete by selling cheap products in the mass market and that this applies not only to software but to pretty much everything; this is because the key to succeeding in the mass market is to control distribution channels (i.e. retail stores). This is much more work than a small company can handle and a one-person company wants to spend their time developing, not marketing. A small company that goes to the consumer market usually ends up being controlled (and pressured) by their distributors. It is easy to see this in bicycle shops and their suppliers: the small ones thrive and survive only because they sell expensive high-end products, expert advice and premium customer support, thereby avoiding the mass market. Mind you, these are not "facts" but only my perception. -- Ludovic Brenta.