The way to make money

Editor | Hu Wei

Produced | CSDN (ID: csdnnews)

Many entrepreneurial companies are worried about how to design Open source project business model, the following is the application of the author to explore this problem, and the right to throw the jade.

Open source license

Since we decided \”Milvus vector search engine\” (the author’s company on GitHub is open source project) to open source, the first step is to choose the right Open source license. Although the Free Software founder RMS has advocated the Copyleft concept, Copyleft is also a special copyright.

So, what is an open source license? Simply put, a license can be called an open source license as long as the Opens Source Initiative is certified. OSI has a special procedure to review whether a license is in line with the open source definition.

For example, MongoDB’s new design SSPL (Sever Side public license) before completing OSI certification, MongoDB can only say that its license is source available, but can’t say that you are open source (of course This restriction is an industry practice, no mandatory).

At present, the mainstream open source license can be queried on the OSI website. There are many articles on the Internet to compare different different licenses (can refer to the blog of the teacher of Yifeng), I will not let it go.

Here mainly combines our own situation to talk about the selection of open source licenses. Open source license is simple, it can be divided into three gears:

• Strictly, representatives with GPL 2.0 licenses, typical software is mysql

• moderate, representatives of Apache 2.0 licenses The most widely used

• loose, BSD, MIT, PostgreSQL license is represented, typical software is PostgreSQL

Friends who are familiar with the database must know mysql and postgreSQL. MySQL is the most popular open source database, but PostgreSQL is the most open source database of derivative projects. Nowadays, new projects rarely use GPL 2.0 licenses, and its contagability should be the most concerned place.

For promotion basic technology, MiThe license for the T / BSD class is a good choice. Maybe rarely use freebsd. But it is still constantly developing because FreeBSD is used by many manufacturers to develop their own closed source systems.

For example, Sony’s Play Station 3 and 4 is based on FreeBSD, and there is also a SWTICH game console in Ninhouse.

Redis also uses a loose 3-CLAUSE-BSD license (more than 2-CLAUSE limits for trademarks). However, the License of the Redis’s entire toolchain is very complicated.

When the REDIS switches the license of the partial component, it caused a large misunderstanding. Therefore, the midway will strictly become a bit sensitive.

It looks quite complicated REDIS license matrix

If the policy is too urgent, the policy is too slow. Then choose the middle Apache 2.0. Apache 2.0 is currently the default open source license recommended by the Apache Foundation and the CNCF Foundation.

GitHub Website’s simple description of Apache 2.0 licenses

Apache 2.0 is not limited to commercial use, patent license is also included in other open source licenses. However, Apache 2.0 also explicitly stipulates the disclaimer of software vendors under this open source license. This is the legal basis for open source software companies to provide subscription value-added services.

However, even the Apache 2.0 is such a mature open source license, everyone still has a worry: public cloud.

Do you need to prevent public cloud manufacturers?

The relationship between open source software and public clouds is a bit tight in these two years. A more popular point is that there is no more contribution to the open source community.

Many open source projects began to search for their own methods before public clouds. After all, the emergence of public clouds has disrupted the original open source business model to some extent. By purchasing cloud services, end users have been guaranteed from public cloud service providers, and open source vendors are bypass.

So, Common Clause came into being. Common Clause is an additional terms that the open source vendors still need to choose a basic ministerial license. The final form is similar: Apache 2.0 + Common CLAUSE 1.0.

Common Clause is more refined, allThere is only 3 words. CommON Clause mainly prohibits others from using open source software for profitability without increasing the value of open source software. Its restriction is mainly reflected in the following three points:

Suppose a third party builds a complete set of applications on the open source software, this new application increases the value of the original open source software. Then this new application will not be restricted. This is guaranteed that the relationship between open source manufacturers and partners will not be affected.

However, Common Clause has not passed OSI certification, so it has been suggested that he is Source Available after adding Common Clause. Although it will cause a certain dispute, the initial open source project is selected to add Common Clause to look up and have been understood more and more people.

However, our open source projects are not intended to add Common Clause. There are two important reasons.

MongoDB revelation

MongoDB is an example of successful open source project. The AGPL 3.0 license is used at the beginning. If public Clouds use MongoDB to serve services, the public cloud manufacturers need to publish the source code of the relevant underlying service. Therefore, all American public clouds such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud choose to develop document-based databases.

In addition to the United States, MongoDB is difficult to protect yourself with legal weapons. In October 2018 MongoDB modified a new version of the license, complained that public cloud manufacturers against MongoDB interests, mainly refers to public cloud manufacturers outside the United States.

Therefore, the global open source basic software vendor is actually hard to rely on a license to comprehensively protect yourself.

On the other hand, when AWS has DynamoDB; Azure has COSMOS DB; Google Cloud has a Cloud FireStore, the document database is no longer MongoDB. In the back of the mobile Internet, the mobile MongoDB Mobile does not meet the influence of the expectation.

After all, the mobile document database like Realm can be synchronized with multiple public cloud document databases, which is very convenient for mobile developers. In April 2019, MongoDB acquired Realm at $ 39 million.

Prevent others also affected their own developmentSpace, is it worth it? The answer varies from person to person, and the open source project needs to make a choice in conjunction with its own situation.

The new strategy of the four masses

According to the statistics of the consultation company Gartner, Google Cloud occupies 4.0% of the public cloud Iaas market in 2018, ranking fourth. It is still not as a zero head of the boss’s AWS market share (47.8%). Google Cloud wants to catch his head, what should he do?

At this year’s Google Cloud Next Conference, the new Google Cloud CEO invited Redis Lab CEO to help the platform.

At the General Assembly, Google Cloud launched the REDIS managed service, MongoDB on Google Cloud Marketplace. Subsequent MongoDB ATLAS Cloud Services also launched a series of cooperation with Google Cloud.

Redis and MongoDB have large technical influences in the open source and Internet industries. And they are two of the open source circles to the public cloud manufacturers.

Recently they have revised their licenses for public cloud vendors. Therefore, the information conveyed at the Google Cloud Next Conference is very interesting.

Cooperate with mature open source vendors, it is a new policy for Google Cloud. This road is worth a try. After all, I am afraid that I am afraid that it is difficult to defeat the boss with a boss.

Qi Baishi once said, \”Learn my life, like my death.\” Google Cloud first thought. I believe that there will be more and more public cloud manufacturers want to understand this issue, choose to cooperate with mature open source manufacturers. Therefore, for the open source basic software, it is a matter of urgency to enhance its maturity, and the heart can be presented to one side.

In the previous article, we mentioned that the Apache Foundation has a code. According to the CoComo II model, the development cost of these code exceeds 20 billion Dollar (2019). \”As for this, the development cost of each line of code exceeds $ 100. So don’t think that open source software is free.

Typical open source business model

There are several more mature open source software business models:

• Subscribe service: Open source license exempted manufacturers to software quality and The responsibility of software defect repair. And these areEnterprise applications must be. Therefore, the most natural business model is to provide software subscription services to provide users with production level service support response and HotFix fixes.

• Advanced features: such as Redis. The component of the core part is open source. But tool software, advanced features (such as multi-tenants, no shared distributed architecture, etc.) are charged.

• Cloud Services: such as DataBricks. Spark is open source, but the fee version only provides cloud services on Azure and AWS.

• Ecological benefits (super large open source vendors only): For example, if the Wall Street analyst estimates Google to pay nearly 10 billion dollars to Apple every year, it is for the default search engine entry on the iPhone. Think about how much Android helps Google Province?

There are two major puzzles in the world: First, the project management of large software systems (the moon myth), the other is software pricing.

About project management, there have been a lot of research and practice, and everyone has a reference. There is no mature formula and model for software pricing. But at least for the pricing of open source software, it is necessary to avoid the following two pits:

• Take high price, 10% off

• No subscription mode

[ 123] These are all models of traditional commercial software. The traditional business software is provided to the customer, and the open source software is provided to the user.

What should I do if the large user needs to buy software? Large users tend to pay one-time payment, not they like to buy a bunch of software assets. Behind the reason is that the software and hardware procurement processes within large users are required, and buyers are required to be intervened with IT technicians.

The purchase is not a person’s job, as well as various audits. Therefore, technicians prefer to buy a one-time buying to save the future. Please remind them that open source software provides services, service is not bought, and should take a more convenient service procurement process.

A commercialization of the basic software to AWS

is a challenging thing. Fortunately there are many mature companies for us to refer. If Oracle is a traditional commercial software company that must be studied, then AWS is undoubtedly a cloud service company that must study hard.

Just said that there is no mature formula and model for software pricing? In fact, AWS helped everyone to explore a pricing method of public cloud software.

The AWS AURORA database is said to be the fastest and most profitable cloud service on AWS. Aurora is technically a very innovative cloud primary database, bringing out of a groupBy. Based on official publicity:

Amazon Aurora speeds up to five times the standard Mysql database, three times the standard PostgreSQL database.

It can realize the security, availability, and reliability of commercial databases, while cost is only 1/10 of the commercial database. (Reference from https://aws.amazon.com/cn/rds/aurora/)

How is this technology so advanced on the database? The following comparison of all optional instance specifications between Aurora MySQL and RDS MySQL:

Of course, the technology of Aurora MySQL and RDS MySQL is not quite, the hardware required by the same instance spectriot can not be drawn. Shangma.

However, considering the volume of the AWS itself, the cost of hardware differences between the two should be minimal. It can be substantially considered 20% of the premium from the Aurora MySQL software.

How to pricing when the public cloud Marketplace is on the basic software, there is a reference.

After returns

Although two articles were written, it also involved a small part of the open source. Open source model is not much simpler than traditional commercial software.

Among them, the key community operations and developers ecological construction, we are also constantly exploring. Waiting for one day we form your own method and style, you must share with you. I hope that domestic basic software peers can make progress together.

Author Summary: Gu Wei, Zilliz Chief Architect, graduated from Peking University. 15 years of database related work experience. Currently in Zilliz’s productive work in Zilliz’s nuclear data analysis engine. Before joining Zilliz, he worked in IBM, Morgan Stanley, Huawei and other multinational companies.