2007-07-21 05:50:20 · 3 answers · asked by John K 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
Since you asked, I'll take an Open Source approach to answering this. Given people describe Open Source as "Free as in Freedom, not as in Beer" a Scandinavian Artist/Activist decided to protest IP laws by doing an Open Source Beer: that is he found and posted a recipe for the Beer which anyone can use without compensation. Several companies make it. You can buy it from them or brew it yourself. That means it is free as in freedom.
Software is different. A popular Linux distribution is Knoppix. This comes as a Live CD or DVD which contains a working Linux desktop that boots into memory on most computers and contains programs which will allow you to do office work, play some games, and or sort out the files or repair the filesystem of any Windows (mainly XP) or Linux System. A man named Klaus Knopper came up with it as he was finishing his education. Rather than figure out how to sell this, he decided to use it as his calling card and make his living as a consultant. It worked. He's been making a good living and has enough time left over to promote Knoppix and oversee the contributions many other people -- who want it on their resumes -- have offered him.
Red Hat is another example. They've been an Open Source company from the beginning. They've been publicly traded since the dot com boom. That means they sell consulting and services. The Red Hat and Fedora operating systems serve two purposes: You can get Fedora for free, but it's where they have tested out new programs for the systems they set up for their customers. Some things may give problems out of the box. They sell consulting. If you want to troubleshoot it yourself, then sharing the answer can look good on your resume and may lead to a job with Red Hat. Also it's good advertising.
Not all free software is part of the Open Source movement. Not all good free software is related to it. Just two weeks ago I had to use a little program I've had on my main computers since I first downloaded it from Simtel software repository in 1992. It works just as smoothly today as it did then.
That means there is plenty of product out there for low end websites. It can be worth your while to visit many of them. And they can make their living by selling ads or "sponsored links". You don't need to know too much about the technology to set one up, and you're only selling ads, not expertise.
In other words, there are a lot of ways to benefit from offering "free software" even financially. As to why people need an "Open Source" license, they don't. There was a recent case of someone patenting a program someone else had released into the public domain, but there are literally thousands of licenses which people use.
You may or may not find a "free" program which really suits your needs, but whether you do or not you might consider that free as in free beer software can help to insure free as in free choice software. Some of us think that is good.
2007-07-21 07:28:58 · answer #1 · answered by jplatt39 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2007-07-21 13:03:41 · answer #2 · answered by Catch that Fish!!!! 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have sponsored links. Other companies pay them for those.
2007-07-21 12:53:46 · answer #3 · answered by hac 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋