*BSD News Article 43999


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From: masinter@randomc.com@mail.randomc.com
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc
Subject: The FreeBSD Project, Inc. (For Profit or Not?)
Date: 13 May 1995 01:45:36 GMT
Organization: Random Access Communications
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References: <9504240621341239@infoplus.uu.holonet.net> <3nqvvh$62q@bonnie.tcd-dresden.de> <3nuc1h$o80@columbia.acc.brad.ac.uk> <3o8or2$fqj@helena.mt.net> <3ob04j$lsc@agate.berkeley.edu>
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In <3ob04j$lsc@agate.berkeley.edu>, 
jkh@violet.berkeley.edu (Jordan K. Hubbard) writes:
>
>......locked in the throes of paralysis over the decision as to whether or
>not it should be a "for profit", "not for profit" or "non profit" company.
>
>............will be sitting down with a group of lawyers on Friday to finally
>get the straight-scoop.....
>						Jordan

Jordan, it is now Friday evening, and I read this posting too late to get
E-mail off before you visited the attorneys. I have strong feelings on this 
topic: Whether or not to incorporate, and "for profit" vs. "non-profit."

I am still a "techie" at heart, but have cultivated several small businesses
into sucessful corporations over the past 6 years. The following opinions
are from both a "computer geek" programmer who wants a technically
superior OS, and from a business person who would like to see an 
alternative OS grow to be more than a "flash in the pan."

My motivation is to see FreeBSD become an expanding, professionally 
supported product. My argument is that in order for a product to maintain a 
commercial level of growth and provide the level of support needed 
to encourage its use, a FOR-PROFIT organization must drive it. 

I have recently chosen FreeBSD 2.0 for a professional development project.
The overwhelming reason was my twelve year relationship with the 
commersial BSD. However, I also have faith that FreeBSD will grow into a
commercial product. Without that drive for profit, so germane to business,
the provider will not have the "fire in the belly" needed to drive the product
to market.

The reason I would never consider linux, is because it is a rag-tag 
hodge-podge of donations, without a source for professional support.
I know UNIX started that way, but commercial development and 
"for profit" distribution is what made the product acceptable for corporate 
data systems. That satisfaction of knowing a business is out there with
a real fiduciary and financial stake in the product, is what allows business
users to sleep at night. 

FreeBSD could become THE alternative OS, if only it is brought 
to market by a REAL company. By saying that you don't want to 
make any money off of it, and that you merely wish to continue
its development and deployment, you are NOT making a magnanimous
contribution to mankind. If the product dies out in a year or so, it has
quite conversely hurt everyone that invested in its development, and 
the development of commercial applications to run on it. An operating 
system without support is much less than an unsupported operating 
system--it is an operating system of the past.

Please get over the idea that if you are "for profit" this makes
you a money grubbing, quality assurance-less, purveyor of vaporware.
This "for profit" nature is what will encourage you, and enable you,
to continue your work. No one with a little business education could
condemn you for deciding to incorporate as an S-Corp. This, 
I truly believe, is the best chance for FreeBSD to become a 
preferred platform in the sea of systems we swim everyday.