This structural disadvantage of small experiments which provide no value for market forces or privately owned entities but does provide a perhaps significant pu

This structural disadvantage of small experiments which provide no value for market forces or privately owned entities but does provide a perhaps significant public value goes beyond software by the way - and I'm not sure simply stating that the best alternative we have in many or most cases is to decrease the public good in order to yield some level of profitability. In the mean time, if your service can only exist as something outside the public domain, I don't think people will complain much if you're honest in your communications about it.