3 ms·

I used to make software for the masses but it was pirated to the point that the business wasn't viable. I had to switch to a very expensive small niche. While p

I used to make software for the masses but it was pirated to the point that the business wasn't viable. I had to switch to a very expensive small niche. While pirating is still rampant it's a niche where I can effectively sue so I can make sure at least my biggest customers keep paying which is enough to keep the business afloat. A lot of goods simply will not be produced at any price if piracy keeps producers out of the market.

zirgs 4y ago
How do you explain open source software then? Why is Linux still being developed?
- looping__lui 4y ago
  It might be tied to scenarios where the engineers producing said piece of software expected no compensation whatsoever (more or less).
- shjake 4y ago
  Direct or indirect support from various corporations generally.
  - zirgs 4y ago
    So it turns out that you can actually make money if you offer source code for free. Epic Games earn billions with their Unreal Engine and Fortnite and they aren't afraid of pirates.
    - shjake 4y ago
      They earn a lot from Fortnite sure. Unreal engine is not technically open source, I’m aware that their revenue from it is that significant compared to Fortnite and they make money by taking a share of revenue from it’s users. Not sure how all of that is relevant for open source though . IBM/Red Hat, Google or even Oracle would be much better examples