Is there a bright future for open software projects?

[holger krekel]

A wrote:
> Hi all,
> For  some time I am thinking about what firms or  programmers  can afford to develop
> open/free software. I myself have been using free programming languages ( Perl and now 
> Python) for about 4 years.But it seems to me very difficult to develop free software because 
> either I can program only when I have free time and then the development is going very 
> slowly or someone must pay for the software anyway because  programmers must also 
> earn money to live  and then why and who should pay for free software?

I have worked for banks and insurances a lot.  I deliberatly left
(*during* the dot-com era :-) to try to dive more into free software
developments.  My experience is that there is a big market for
customized software solutions.  Lots of companies need something
that works for them 
solot of need for 
software solutions and customers have to pay for this. 

I think it's 
That's an interesting question.  IMO

1) Usage of free software is growing by the day.  Companies having just 
   survived the dot-com era are rethinking their business models. 

2) Lots of software is 'specialized' software, not MS Windows. 
   There is need for lots of customized-for-a-special-purpose 
   
   That's where the money is earned.  specialized
    Many customers are not opposed
   anymore to getting in fact don't
   care if they get a solution with free software. 
way Just yesterday i got a call from a company who
- two years ago - wouldn't want to hear *anything* of free software. 
They were spending millions during the dot-com aera era buying 
proprietary software.

Now they have to focus much more on getting the job done.  The barrier
for using and participating in free software developments is much lower
now.  Mu 

Now they want to get the job done and they have suffered great deal  
> And my question:
> Is it possible to develop open(FREE) software that is  better or at least of same quality like 
> paid software?
> What companies like ActiveState.com or similar live on if they offer free software?
> Best regards and thanks to all who still develop FREE software.
> Ladislav
> 
> 
> 
> 
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