Open source means business.
Many companies today have realized this. Both suppliers of software and their customers understand that both the development and licensing of software solutions on open source terms gives an increased flexibility, new options for services, access to communities amongst other developers and users, and above all increased focus on customer needs and wants.
Open source has now reached a maturity level and a distribution level, where the former barriers are overcome. It is no longer legal issues relating to liability and so-called "viral" effect of certain open source licenses, whichcan dictate deselection of open source solutions. Open source is not an either-or. On the contrary, open source solutions have today a fine interplay with both new business models such as SaaS and with many traditional software solutions based on closed code.
Dual licenses
A good example of this symbiosis between open and closed source is Composite's new release of most of the code base for their already well-established CMS, Composite C1, under an open source license. C1 is developed on Microsofts .NET platform. Before open source became widespread that would have provided some challenges. It is not like that anymore. Composite C1 is only one of the latest examples of that open source business models can integrate well with Microsoft products released under the "old" licenses.
On the whole, the open source licensing model have given Composite a new and flexible licensing tool that enables Composite to invent a new set of user requirements for its customers and its growing developer community. It supports their revenue and also the services where the customers see value and which thus give Composite and its partners the possibility to earn money.
