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Write libraries instead of services, where possible

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Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#121
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but how you monetize a library? Oh that's a burning question for me. I'm finishing a C lib that - if all goes well - will be very useful. I worked hard on it and now I don't know how to license it. I'm okay with non-profit OSS projects to use it freely, but I need others to pay for it. How ? How do you express such a dual license ? And how do you ensure for-profit users reward you ? That's not the part I prefer in th…

GPLv3 with a commercial exception. Corporate suits don't like the GPL, so if they buy a commercial licence they support the project without having to redistribute (You can also offer support)

  GPLv3 with a commercial exception
Thx. Do you mean GPL + my custom addendum ? How do you write it if you're not versed in `legalese` jargon ?

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#122
post #38
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

by switching from a competitive money driven world to a cooperative one.

Communism doesn't work.

Of course it "works", there's been multiple countries run on it and continue to run on it. What you mean to say is you don't like it.

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#123
Libraries are better for end-users, services are better for the businesses building them. When a service could just as easily be a library (which isn't always the case, to be fair), it's not a question of best-practice, it's a question of power-balance and incentives.

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#124

> A service has constant administration costs which are paid by the service provider. A properly designed library instead moves these costs to the users of the library. I agree with the articles point, but this introduction, right there, is why it's not happening. SaaS turns your startup into a unicorn and yourself into a rich person. Or at least that's what you are hoping/aiming for. A library is not going to make y…

Democratizing making software comes at a price

Now everybody can and is trying to make a living off of it

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#125

> A service has constant administration costs which are paid by the service provider. A properly designed library instead moves these costs to the users of the library. I agree with the articles point, but this introduction, right there, is why it's not happening. SaaS turns your startup into a unicorn and yourself into a rich person. Or at least that's what you are hoping/aiming for. A library is not going to make y…

wrong, you can have both, several successful open source projects have libraries that are released under friendly open source license. SaaS comes in to provide added benefits over DIY approach, both realities can happily exist and in fact open source growth drives SaaS business models.

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#126
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can sell a library just as well as any other piece of software I think.

Not really. Your market is different. Instead of selling to business managers seeking to solve a problem, you're selling to developers. Developers tend to like solving problems themselves, and you're competing versus free.

You can totally sell libraries to business managers. You can sell sauteed rat's assholes on a stick to business managers, you just need the right sales pitch.

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#127
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GPLv3 with a commercial exception. Corporate suits don't like the GPL, so if they buy a commercial licence they support the project without having to redistribute (You can also offer support)

GPLv3 with a commercial exception Thx. Do you mean GPL + my custom addendum ? How do you write it if you're not versed in `legalese` jargon ?

https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/selling-exceptions for a little philosophy behind it, however it will always be the GPL OR a commercial licence rather than an amalgam of the two

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#128

> A service has constant administration costs which are paid by the service provider. A properly designed library instead moves these costs to the users of the library. I agree with the articles point, but this introduction, right there, is why it's not happening. SaaS turns your startup into a unicorn and yourself into a rich person. Or at least that's what you are hoping/aiming for. A library is not going to make y…

It still applies for internal usage. You can have 18 microservices, but if you're strict about versioning and start treating them like libraries when possible, you're going to save yourself a lot of headache.

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#129
post #61
post #36

Counter argument, don't deploy your code on other people's hosts.

Got it, buy the cheapest possible 600$ server, pay 200$/month to collocate it (also do a cost benefit of different facilities), be responsible for all hardware failures and availability issues.

> the cheapest possible 600$ server

Surely $600 dollar servers all cost the same

Re: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

#130

> A service has constant administration costs which are paid by the service provider. A properly designed library instead moves these costs to the users of the library. I agree with the articles point, but this introduction, right there, is why it's not happening. SaaS turns your startup into a unicorn and yourself into a rich person. Or at least that's what you are hoping/aiming for. A library is not going to make y…

Democratizing making software comes at a price Now everybody can and is trying to make a living off of it

Is that such a bad thing?
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