You're totally right. I agree, and wasn't disputing these facts indeed. Just thinking out loud I guess... > Other companies like Apache, Redhat, etc also offer

You're totally right. I agree, and wasn't disputing these facts indeed. Just thinking out loud I guess... > Other companies like Apache, Redhat, etc also offer us free things to use/play with while monetizing their enterprise/support services. A much more ethical method in my opinion. Totally, this general business model can get as close as it gets to sustainable open-source. It seems hard to pull off though, lots of dead startups and projects out there, despite a few resounding successes.