1) Build a user base 2) Grow a substantial user base 3) Open source (iff your technology is clearly a commodity) Don't do #3 until you've gone through steps

1) Build a user base 2) Grow a substantial user base 3) Open source (iff your technology is clearly a commodity) Don't do #3 until you've gone through steps #1 and #2. First you need a platform that has users. Technology without users is like an object that is never instantiated. Open-sourcing for the sake of open-sourcing makes as much sense as promoting a new technology for the sake of new technology (ie technology that doesn't really solve somebody's problem).