Comments on: Open source DBMS as a business model http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/ Choices in data management and analysis Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:09:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Curt Monash http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/comment-page-1/#comment-68204 Curt Monash Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:49:27 +0000 http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/#comment-68204 Actually, Dan, I was blurring the distinction between "Free" and "Very cheap". :) But I wasn't thinking of cases where developer versions are cheap/free, but you have to pay big bucks to deploy ANY app. That's just a common delivery model now, including among companies that make no pretense at being open source. Indeed, I'd guess half or more of the non-appliance vendors I write about in this blog have some sort of a model like that. Best, CAM Actually, Dan, I was blurring the distinction between “Free” and “Very cheap”. :)

But I wasn’t thinking of cases where developer versions are cheap/free, but you have to pay big bucks to deploy ANY app. That’s just a common delivery model now, including among companies that make no pretense at being open source. Indeed, I’d guess half or more of the non-appliance vendors I write about in this blog have some sort of a model like that.

Best,

CAM

]]> By: Daniel Weinreb http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/comment-page-1/#comment-68166 Daniel Weinreb Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:40:36 +0000 http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/#comment-68166 Does the third item ("Sort of!") include dual-licensing models, in which the product is free for you to download and use by yourself, but requires licensing if you use it in a product? This is how SleepyCat's Berkeley DB is sold. And now they're owned by Oracle, so Sun may not be the first. I think Sun's "Glassfish" open-source J2EE app server uses something like this, but it's hard to tell from the web site. Does the third item (”Sort of!”) include dual-licensing models, in which the product is free for you to download and use by yourself, but requires licensing if you use it in a product? This is how SleepyCat’s Berkeley DB is sold. And now they’re owned by Oracle, so Sun may not be the first.

I think Sun’s “Glassfish” open-source J2EE app server uses something like this, but it’s hard to tell from the web site.

]]> By: Curt Monash http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/comment-page-1/#comment-68107 Curt Monash Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:54:46 +0000 http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/#comment-68107 Thanks for the info, John! CAM Thanks for the info, John!

CAM

]]> By: John Sequeira http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/comment-page-1/#comment-68102 John Sequeira Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:30:45 +0000 http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/#comment-68102 "Then try to think of cases of them actually customizing DBMS. Can you?" Google and Skype have hacked the dbms source code of mysql and postgres and made nontrivial source code contributions back to the parent project. http://code.google.com/p/google-mysql-tools/ http://joseph.randomnetworks.com/archives/2007/03/15/postgresql-projects-at-skype/ I'll bet Yahoo did as well, but it's not always something folks make public. Then of course instead of doing it in-house, enterprises can simply fund the development via bug bounty etc. and control the roadmap indirectly in a way that's not possible with off-the-shelve dbms. Not something that's often useful but I wouldn't discount it for web vendors who can save a ton of licensing money by strategic spending to extend an OSS platform. “Then try to think of cases of them actually customizing DBMS. Can you?”

Google and Skype have hacked the dbms source code of mysql and postgres and made nontrivial source code contributions back to the parent project.

http://code.google.com/p/google-mysql-tools/
http://joseph.randomnetworks.com/archives/2007/03/15/postgresql-projects-at-skype/

I’ll bet Yahoo did as well, but it’s not always something folks make public.

Then of course instead of doing it in-house, enterprises can simply fund the development via bug bounty etc. and control the roadmap indirectly in a way that’s not possible with off-the-shelve dbms.

Not something that’s often useful but I wouldn’t discount it for web vendors who can save a ton of licensing money by strategic spending to extend an OSS platform.

]]> By: Lobotomia http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/comment-page-1/#comment-68067 Lobotomia Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:02:14 +0000 http://www.dbms2.com/2008/01/16/open-source-dbms-as-a-business-model/#comment-68067 Open Source is the future in business model Open Source is the future in business model

]]>