why startups should use open source software. presented at startup camp kl 2008, to a lively discussion

1. Bootstrapping using free software
StartupCampKL
November 2008
A discussion on starting up, cheaply
Colin Charles
byte@bytebot.net
http://bytebot.net/

2. Free software?
Free as in bebas
Not free as in percuma

3. Freedoms
Run the software
Study the software & change it accordingly
Redistribute copies to others
Modify, then release, so no one has to do things
twice

4. Open Source?
Open source is a development method for
software that harnesses the power of distributed
peer review and transparency of process. The
promise of open source is better quality, higher
reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end
to predatory vendor lock-in.
From opensource.org

5. The open source model
Spend money to save time
Spend time to save money
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6. What do you require?
● Technology business?
● Media business?
● Front office?
● Advertising business?
● Specialised engineering business?
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7. Media
1999: Mandrake, OpenOffice.org, Mozilla
(exception of one Mac machine, for DTP use)
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8. Media
2008: Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org, Firefox,
Thunderbird
(okay, Google Docs/Mail is crucial... and there's
still one Mac for DTP use)
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9. Technology
Is there a reason you are not leveraging on the
use of open source? There is no excuse.
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10. Venture backed startups
I've received funding... now what next?
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11. I have money to hire 5 staff
Kick ass programmers?
Maybe three, if you're lucky/smart
Progress in twelve months
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12. Do I base my architecture on...
ASP.NET/MS SQL/IIS/Windows Server?
OR
PHP/MySQL/Apache/Linux?
(yes, yes, Python, Perl, Ruby, PostgreSQL,
OpenSolaris, FreeBSD, and others do make
sense too :) )
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13. Software licenses
There is zero cost, when using open source
software
When you are profitable and need support,
consulting, training, et al, you can go back to a
service provider to help you solve your problems
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14. Examples...
Linux ... Red Hat, Novell, Ubuntu
MySQL ... Sun
JBoss ... Red Hat
OpenOffice.org ... Sun
And don't forget your local SI's, etc...
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15. What about community supported
stuff?
Debian? FreeBSD? PostgreSQL?
Trust your local partners! The choice is yours
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16. So, back to I have 5 staff to hire
3 kick ass programmers will write more code, in a
quicker time, if they leverage open source
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17. Why?
Rewrite yet another CMS?
Rewrite yet another wiki?
Rewrite yet another VoIP system?
Rewrite yet another e-commerce system?
Rewrite yet another ... ?
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18. Reuse
Just build it on other people's work
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19. License Proliferation
Be aware, the many different licenses out there.
Knowing when to mix and match, is as simple as
reading the license
Mixing with proprietary software? Look for
BSD/Apache licenses
LGPL ensures that when incorporated into your
software, the license itself doesn't “leak” into it
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20. Front office stuff
Web browser ... Firefox
Email client ... Thunderbird
Office suite ... OpenOffice.org
Accounting package ... GNUCash
Graphics manipulation ... The GIMP
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21. Vendor lock-in
... is bad
“... provides Malaysian SMEs with cost-effective
and affordable options to purchase IT at only
RM188 per month”
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22. Open Standards
Today, if you don't have open APIs, your product
is probably dead in the water
Malaysian web properties lack open APIs – start
now!
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23. When is free software, maybe,
incorrect?
Specialised uses, where today, there only exists
software for proprietary platforms
Architects depend on AutoCAD
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24. Bootstrapping in the Web 2.0 world
Guy Kawasaki
Truemors
“Life is also good because of open source and
Wordpress.”
7.5 weeks from domain registration to launch
About USD$12k, only USD$4.5k spent on
software development
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25. More bootstrapping
Mark Zuckerberg
“Going from a university dorm room to a company
that has more than 1800 servers running MySQL
is something that we think is pretty exciting,”
Urlocker said. “It just goes to show you that a
student with a good idea can go a long way.”
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26. Bootstrapping yet again
YouTube
Google AdSense
(http://xooglers.blogspot.com/2005/12/lets-get-real-database.html)
Yahoo!
Flickr
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27. SeedCamp
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28. VCs?
If you're investing in a company, or handing them
grants, they better not be building their software
on a proprietary platform
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29. What about the cloud?
Google Apps for your Domain
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30. Thank free software
The world as you know it, today, would not be the
same, had it not been for open source software
A UNIX variant powers most servers... languages
like Perl/PHP/etc. are the glue... Apache, MySQL,
etc. are the infrastructure
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31. Thanks
Colin Charles
byte@bytebot.net
http://bytebot.net/
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