GPL and Python modules.

[Cliff Wells]

On Mon, 2004-10-25 at 20:55 +0000, Grant Edwards wrote:

> 
> That doesn't stop them from asking "just one question". Usually
> forwaded through sales.

Indeed.  And nothing stops you from explaining to them that you'll be
happy to answer their question at your usual rate.

> IMO, it's usually worthwile to answer the questions.  It
> generates customer loyalty. 

Agreed.  It's just a question of when to draw the line.  I usually draw
it if the answer to their questions is going to take me more than, say,
5 to 10 minutes.  One thing I've noticed is that if you *always* provide
free support, customers don't appreciate it.  Rather they come to
*expect* it and will get angry if you refuse to provide it.  But if you
only give them free support *sometimes*, then they realize that you are
giving them something for free that usually costs money.  This they
appreciate.

>  But, pretending that it deoesn't
> cost time/effort to support GPL'd source code when you give it
> to a customer is being delusional.

It's no different than providing anything else to a customer.  If they
didn't ask questions about the source, then it would be about use of the
application or about the operating system or about...  the only way to
stop customer questions is not have customers (or to charge them
ridiculous prices for support).  The typical model for making money from
open source is to provide support for a fee.  If you aren't getting paid
for that support then the open source model isn't going to work well for
you.


Regards,
Cliff

-- 
Cliff Wells <clifford.wells at comcast.net>