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Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

nirvdrum.com

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Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#21

Post by juhanima »

toddgardner wrote: post #13

Giving your customers a soft landing is really important to maintain trust. They loved your product, and proved that the market existed--but it wasn't as big as you thought. When closing down, has anyone explored not completely shuttering the company, but instead continuing to exist as a licensing entity? License the source code itself to your existing customers so that they can continue using it, without all the mes…

Not a terrible idea at all, IMHO. Isn't the core idea of OSS to enable those who use the software to modify it and keep maintaining it? It doesn't mean you have to give it to everyone else as well for free.

One reasonable choice would be to give or sell your former paying customers just a raw code dump, with a notification and a disclaimer of all the included license problems and other embarrassement. Giving it for free would of course be an easy way to avoid unnecessary liabilities.

Who knows, maybe next they want to buy your services to make fixes and new features? Perhaps they might even be willing to sponsor you in making it a proper open source project.

Talk to your customers. They are your most valuable asset.

EDIT: continued the natural train of thought

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#22

Post by rexreed »

nirvdrum wrote: post #14
buckbova wrote: post #3

So what now? Did you get a day job? Honestly, there shouldn't be any rush to do anything. You released some good tools, and that's fine.

I came to the realization that Mogotest didn't have a future, at least with me, over the summer. I've evaluated a lot of opportunities in that time. The hardest part being that I didn't really have a clue what I wanted to do. My strategy was to cast a wide net and see if anything excited me. It took a while, but I'm happy to say I joined as a researcher at Oracle Labs working on their JRuby/Truffle implementation. I…

Bummer to hear that, especially as one of the mentors and funders of your Techstars Boston 2010 pool. I only wish that the folks in your pool communicated often and early to the mentors and funders of your Techstars cohort -- we most likely could have helped earlier.

Indeed, I think this is the biggest failure I see of startups, regardless of the quality. The seeming inability to reach out for help, guidance, and provide feedback and communicate with others outside their company... especially (and surprisingly) their investors and mentors.

Startups - communicate often and early with others.

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#23

Post by curun1r »

maaaats wrote: post #7

What I hate is that some people feel entitled to getting one's hard work for free.

The one group that I feel is somewhat entitled to the code is the customer base. Not open sourcing it is one thing, but I'd highly encourage the author to release the code as shared source with only his former customers. They're the ones that tried to help make his startup a success. They're not the freeloaders. If they end up giving the code to someone else, then so be it...he's not making any more money off it anyways.

Moreover, I think the shared source model is one that more companies should pursue from the beginning. For one, having light on the code from day 1 helps keep developers honest. Secondly, it establishes a trust relationship with customers that can be very powerful. And lastly, it eliminates one element of fear in the purchasing decision...potential customers don't have to worry about being left in the lurch if the business goes under.

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#24

Post by mkremer90 »

Honestly, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this.

I have people that ask me to open-source my current side-project all the time (one that is paid), and I find it insanely disrespectful.

"Yes, let me just hand over the source code for my commercial product. How about not."

I'm not trying to sound greedy, but money speaks. If these companies want the software open sourced, they should be pitching in for the cost. If you don't think something is worth money, you don't value it at all.

EDIT: Perhaps this is a good place to drop the "challenge" I gave myself and invited other developers to join me a few months ago.

DEVELOPERS - I challenge you to spend some money TODAY:

https://mattkremer.com/developers-you-need-to-stop-being-so-...

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#26

Post by curun1r »

xpto123 wrote: post #12
hw wrote: post #2

most of the time it's extremely hard to just go open source when a startup dies. There's issues of ownership and also the amount of work needed to get a typical startup codebase clean, refactored and open source ready is difficult. It's kinda like having a garage sale and giving everything away - it's hard to give away or sell every single thing, but parts of it might be useful to the community.

AFIK, AngularJS was the result of improving and open-sourcing the code of a failed startup, after taking it to Google, adding a tone of features to the codebase and using it in internal projects before open sourcing it.

Got a source for that? That's a very different story from the one that Brad and Misko told at the ng-conf (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1A1VR0ibIQ)

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#27

Post by nirvdrum »

rexreed wrote: post #22
nirvdrum wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came to the realization that Mogotest didn't have a future, at least with me, over the summer. I've evaluated a lot of opportunities in that time. The hardest part being that I didn't really have a clue what I wanted to do. My strategy was to cast a wide net and see if anything excited me. It took a while, but I'm happy to say I joined as a researcher at Oracle Labs working on their JRuby/Truffle implementation. I…

Bummer to hear that, especially as one of the mentors and funders of your Techstars Boston 2010 pool. I only wish that the folks in your pool communicated often and early to the mentors and funders of your Techstars cohort -- we most likely could have helped earlier. Indeed, I think this is the biggest failure I see of startups, regardless of the quality. The seeming inability to reach out for help, guidance, and pro…

I had reached out to a few people over the years. Without a doubt, I could have done better. If you'd like to email me, I'd be happy to discuss that aspect more. kevin@.

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#28

Post by GnarfGnarf »

There is a real problem with the perceived value of software. The public sees Google giving everything away, not understanding the underlying business model, and assumes all software has little or no value. Software is not made of physical materials, so why should it be compensated?

The public sees Apple apps for 99¢, so shouldn't all software be priced like that?

I recently dealt with a customer demanding a free upgrade. She paid $29 nine years ago, and was seething mad at having to pay for an upgrade. How do you deal with that?

I'm just looking for an Opens Source banker who will give me an Open Source mortgage.

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#29

Post by scrollaway »

tptacek wrote: post #17
Dylan16807 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that's not the issue. People object to useful IP rotting in the back of a filing cabinet, unused. It's not about getting it free, it's about being able to get it at all. (Some people may want things for free but that's a different issue.)

That objection is a form of entitlement.

No, it's not. Some of us actually believe that the advance of humanity comes from the reuse of its own previous work.

Re: Open Sourcing a Failed Startup

#30

Post by michaelbuckbee »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #10
maaaats wrote: post #7

What I hate is that some people feel entitled to getting one's hard work for free.

No, that's not the issue. People object to useful IP rotting in the back of a filing cabinet, unused. It's not about getting it free, it's about being able to get it at all. (Some people may want things for free but that's a different issue.)

Agreed, but the most useful form of that objection would be to make an offer the codebase, etc.
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