A recent ComptuerWorld article argues that open-source-based companies are just not going to be able to make as much money as their commercial counterparts, and, thus, should open themselves up to supporting the open-source versions of their software, too. I disagree.

These companies are already providing an incredible service to the community by licensing their code as open-source. True, they may get help from the community in developing the software, but they still need a way to make money. Compared to some of the alternatives, only supporting the commercial version doesn’t seem too bad, and, if it helps the company hire more developers to improve the open-source side, everyone wins.

Though it would be nice if every company was based around pure open-source, it may not yet be realistic, at least until someone comes up with a better business model. For now, let a few concessions slide – you can’t ask too much of company that has to make money.

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