Few open source projects are actually sustainable

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Oracle aims to destroy open source software industry

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honeymonster Updated - 17th Aug 2010

I have pondered this as well.

FLOSS is often peddled as a "fair" development method which makes software much less expensive.

This is because the savings goes to the customers and not to that big, evil proprietary vendor.

But there actually is a price that's too low, even for the buyers. If the development of the software asset is not sustainable, you are not paying enough. Eventually the software will be abandoned or - as in this case - bought by a company with few intentions of honoring the FOSS ideology.

I find it quite ironic that the old proprietary way of developing software is actually the most fair (socialist if you want): Those benefiting the most will have to pay the most as well.

What Google did with Dalvik was an attempt to reap the tremendous benefit of being a "Java" player - without being willing to contribute back and help sustain the development. Google has indeed benefited a lot from open source. When you are that big you can set up your own support. It is the small and middle-size players who will have to pay for "support" to help sustain the ecosystem.

The FLOSS model is flawed. At least for some types of software.

Sun was not profitable. They never were able to monetize Java. Except for Java ME for which they did receive a fair amount of licence fees from handset vendors. Until Google wiggled a way around that.

I believe that this is also why Microsoft has taken a lot easier on FOSS competition during the later years. They realize that they just have to sit it out. Sustainability of FOSS projects is rare and for a select few. Given enough time most projects will run into the ground or try to cash in selling to a proprietary vendor. The buyer *will* need to monetize the project and from then on the "open" part of the project will become a 2nd class citizen. Given enough time, customers will realize this as well. After the backlash we will still have FLOSS, but then with a more realistic face.