>>>>> "Lindsay" == Lindsay Morris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Lindsay> That's how we feel. Our customers are people who *DO* write Lindsay> their own home-grown versions of our product, and we don't Lindsay> want them casually lifting pieces of our prodcut, improving Lindsay> their home-grown stuff, then not buying our stuff. Then your pricing model is wrong. If you have a good relationship with your customer, 85% of them will Do The Right Thing and come to you for modifications. And making those 85% suffer for the 15% that rob and steal, just isn't good business. By not hiding your code, you encourage your own competition, but the rising tide lifts all boats, because you also encourage innovation in the public marketplace, and a sense of partnership with your customers. Customer-created bolt-ons might even expand the usefulness of your product, and you might incorporate innovations in future versions of your product. Open source means the flow is two-way, not one-way. Charge for your innovation and support, not for the actual bits. Treat your customers like children, and they will be rebellious children. Treat your customers with dignity, and you have a good business model. This is why I wouldn't buy from you if you had closed source. It means you don't trust me, or you're already ripping me off. Neither of those bode well for me as the customer. -- Randal L. Schwartz - Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. - +1 503 777 0095 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <URL:http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/> Perl/Unix/security consulting, Technical writing, Comedy, etc. etc. See PerlTraining.Stonehenge.com for onsite and open-enrollment Perl training!
