Free/open source software has had a profound impact on the modern age of computing. It continues to grow with each day and has become a major competitor to even large software companies such as Microsoft. At this rate, free software will continue to develop to the point where it may very well be an entirely viable alternative to proprietary software (including operating system). However, what’s taking it so long?

The way I see it is - funding. The majority of free software projects are funded through donations. Yes, that’s a great way to fund a project and build up a community, however it also limits the amount of time you can spend on the project. Many open source / free software projects are done in the developers’ free time - they’re not really getting paid for their work. So development may be slow. Take for example my MyCustomBB project - under development for nearly two years but barely on track and already becoming outdated. I haven’t had enough free time. What can be done to address that?

“A report by Standish Group says that adoption of open source has caused a drop in revenue to the proprietary software industry by about $60 billion per year.” ~Wikipedia

Increased Funding

Many free / open source projects have substantial amounts of funding and therefore do very well. To name some of the more popular examples:

• Linux Kernel -  Originally created by Linus Torvalds (the kernel now has many contributors), he is paid to develop and maintain the kernel software.
• GNU - The GNU operating system (often referred to as the “Linux” operating system)
• Apache - The Apache foundation is responsible for a leading HTTP web server, among many other projects.
• OpenOffice.org - A free office suite created by Sun Microsystems
• Mozilla Firefox - One of the most popular web browsers

The above projects are extremely successful, funded by many sources. Why are they so successful? Well, obviously innovation, effort, skill and other elements come into play, but one major element is the simple fact that the developers have time to maintain the software. Because of all the funding they receive, they’re able to be compensated for their work.

A couple of things need to be done. First, we need more companies willing to invest in free / open source software. That’s the least we could ask considering how many corporations make use of the software, saving them millions of dollars in expenses. Secondly, we need current investors, fund raisers, donators, etc to expand. Step up. Gather more resources. Encourage more people to contribute. I am highly appreciative of their current efforts, don’t get me wrong. Free software just deserves more.

Obviously, not every project will receive much funding and most will arrive in the form of donations from its users, advertising, and selling services (such as support and training). While that is still good, that may make it difficult to maintain the software. Selling services is a good idea, but that requires even more work on top of the software.

Marketplace

There is nothing wrong with asking for compensation for open source software! The only problem is - free software may be freely distributed. We don’t want to take that away. But that means it’s very difficult to generate income on a project. You can try to sell your work, but changes are it’ll simply be redistributed. That’s done with proprietary applications where such an act is illegal.

Therefore, there should be increased numbers of free software marketplaces to encourage the purchase and support of free software. Free software should make its way into stores - not just sites scattered on the Internet. “Free” means freedom, not free of cost. While many may use free software because it is often free of cost, that should not prevent developers from attempting to generate some sort of revenue.

Essentially, what I am proposing is that free software needs a stronger push for greater acceptance in this world. People often associate price with usefulness - if you can simply redistribute a program, one might assume that it is of low quality. That is not always the case. Vendors need to show the world the power of free / open source software! But they must do it within the morals of the free software community. No corporate scheming. No contracts. I would rather have freedom in smaller numbers than corruption.