What Does The Death Of Eazel Mean For Open Source Software?
from the is-it-all-gone? dept
Certainly the death of Eazel is a bit sad. I know a number of (former) Eazel employees (many of whom read Techdirt) and they really believed in what they were doing - which had become an increasingly rare phenomenon in the Valley. Of course, that doesn't mean they get let off the hook for not demonstrating any sort of sustainable business model. However, for the past year or so Eazel has been the company people would point to when asked about "open source" based businesses. So, what does it mean for the open source world, now that Eazel is gone? Well, it means that business models still matter. It also means that open source software isn't going away (witness the reaction from Eazel developers who will keep developing). However, it could mean less devotion to open source projects - as it's less likely to get developers paid. Of course, people have been developing open source projects for years without getting paid (and in many cases without wanting to get paid). I doubt that's all about to go away any time soon.
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Business model or business plan?
Phillip.
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