Lori MacVittie replies: Ross, you're right--neither the GPL nor the LGPL allows royalties or licensing fees. To generate revenue, companies whose business is based on open-source software must offer value-adds, such as support options, professional services, delivery on media and hardbound manuals.
My comment was based on MySQL, which used to differentiate between Windows and Linux deployments. The Windows version was not a freebie in the early days. However, MySQL has since adjusted its licensing to be consistent regardless of platform. It has moved to a support-based revenue model more closely resembling that of other open-source companies, such as Red Hat.
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Fair Competition
I generally agree with Rob Preston's views on outsourcing ("Outsourcing: Not Us vs. Them," (April 1, 2004). I'd like to suggest three ways to level the playing field.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
