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I hope this does not sound cynical. When we release a new open source project, we are not sure what the project will turn into. We put it out, hoping to get so

I hope this does not sound cynical. When we release a new open source project, we are not sure what the project will turn into. We put it out, hoping to get some reaction from the world. If there is no reaction, we will only invest a bare minimum for our own use. When there is some reaction, the community might find its sweet spot. When there is huge enthusiasm, which is the least likely, we might decide to seek ways to invest more and get our returns. Keep in mind that for projects like that, even if they are open source, the vast majority of contributions come from the primary investor. And other contributors can always fork. It is not anything special about open source. For any product, early adopters are almost expected to get hurt or lose interest as the product matures. It's a part of the product's life cycle that's in any startup book. Crossing the chasm is hard not only for the business but also for the original user base. Yet, successful businesses are destined to do it. I am sorry for the ones that become dissappointed, but they too get something out of it along the ride.

julianmarq 6y ago
So the answer to my question was "yes" then, thank you. I don't know what I would call that practice but it is not any kind of "open source circle of life". > It's a part of the product's life cycle that's in any startup book. There are many start-ups truly committed to open source development. Conversely, there are many who are not but are pretty upfront and honest about how they are not. I don't judge either one as I'd rather not be a zealot, and one ought to do what one ought to do. However, there are also some companies (thankfully a minority, as far as I can tell) who are not really committed whatsoever to open source, but still pretend to be (often using marketing speak like "the ideology is in our blood") for the sake of good publicity. Those I don't like, but then again most of them are large corporations, so it's not like there's much one can do in that area.
- cambalache 6y ago
  It's a predatory tactic, and it works. Like in nature, being ruthless and cynical in software development pays off. The rest is ornamental bloviation.

julianmarq 6y ago

So the answer to my question was "yes" then, thank you. I don't know what I would call that practice but it is not any kind of "open source circle of life". > It's a part of the product's life cycle that's in any startup book. There are many start-ups truly committed to open source development. Conversely, there are many who are not but are pretty upfront and honest about how they are not. I don't judge either one as I'd rather not be a zealot, and one ought to do what one ought to do. However, there are also some companies (thankfully a minority, as far as I can tell) who are not really committed whatsoever to open source, but still pretend to be (often using marketing speak like "the ideology is in our blood") for the sake of good publicity. Those I don't like, but then again most of them are large corporations, so it's not like there's much one can do in that area.

cambalache 6y ago
It's a predatory tactic, and it works. Like in nature, being ruthless and cynical in software development pays off. The rest is ornamental bloviation.