Free software
With so much confusion about the free software and open source software models, I think it's important to reiterate what is meant by those terms, and specifically what is meant by the word "free".
People contact us frequently, for instance, and ask why Promet and Xpresso, our open source products, are not available for free download. The reason is this: yes, they are open source and so therefore they are also free but we charge for them. We charge for the download. We charge for installation. We charge for support. We charge for training.
The overwhelming majority of the web-based applications we have written over the last six years have all been free. Yet, we still charged for analysis, design, development, testing, installation and training. And we didn't charge peanuts, either. We charged (and continue to charge) a fair price, which takes into account our solid experience in designing and developing business systems.
Let's get it straight once and for all folks:
Free software refers to your liberty. It has absolutely nothing to do with price. The free software definition clearly states:
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:
- The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
- The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
- The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
- The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
Kevin Carmony from Linspire makes a good argument when he explains why it's completely ridiculous to even entertain the thought that free software should cost zero dollars and why every self-respecting software developer should be proud to say:
I write free software and I charge for it.
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About the author
I'm Ivan Lutrov and I'm the owner of Lutrov Interactive. I have 25 years of experience producing interactive work and I create cost effective business websites that are simple, engaging and easy to use. I practice what I preach and I say what I really think, even if it's sometimes not what you want to hear. Subscribe to the Lutrov Interactive feed via RSS and follow me on Twitter.