4 ms·

I guess one of the problems with software that doesn't cost any money is that it's hard to build a business around giving it away. It sounds obvious in retrosp

• rdc12 11y ago
  From the linked [0] article, SourceForge was a perfectly viable bussiness before this, if it will continue to be is another matter "First of all, problems with SourceForge are older than some people might expect. At some point in mid-2000s, SourceForge stopped evolving as fast as it used to and focused on advertising-based revenue. This allowed them to go from $6mln in 2006 to $23mln revenue in 2009. But it also alienated free software developers due to poorer service quality. Various projects started moving away." [0]http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/anatomy-of-sourceforge-gimp-controversy http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/anatomy-of-sourcefo...
  • cactusface 11y ago
    If you need projects to attract downloaders, your source of income is advertising to downloaders, and advertising to downloaders drives away projects, then your business isn't perfectly viable, even if you make more money for a time.
• DanBlake 11y ago
  Maybe in this one, specific case. But not even really here. There are other ways they could do well. Just look at redhat (the company) for instance - You can absolutely build a business on giving away software and supporting it.
  • cactusface 11y ago
    RedHat's business is built around support, not around giving software away. Apple gives iTunes away, but it isn't their core business. GitHub charges for private repositories, etc.