The era of Open Source is coming to an end?

Max Prilutskiy
14 replies
Hey everyone, I wanted to start a discussion about the importance of open source software, particularly in the startup world. As startup geeks you’ll probably agree how valuable open source tools have been. Not only do they save us a ton of money on proprietary software licenses, but they also allow us to build and iterate more quickly. The open source community is full of talented developers who are constantly improving and updating these tools, and as a result, we benefit from their hard work and expertise. But as much as I love and rely on open source software in products I’m building, I can't help but worry about its future. With the increasing dominance of a few tech giants and the pressure to monetize every aspect of our businesses, will we see a decline in the number of truly open source projects? Will companies be more hesitant to contribute to and support open source projects? I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Do you see the future of open source as bright, or do you share my concerns? How do you think we can ensure that open source remains a vital part of the tech ecosystem? What’s your opinion?

Replies

Pieter Haasbroek
Hi Max In short. I currently use open-source software (AI-generated software - text-to-image) named "Stable Diffusion". I use it to create awesome art for my Print-On-Demand business.... I believe open source is still relevant and will be even more so in the future. To get a glimpse of what I am achieving with this open-source software, have a quick peek at my store at https://unique-online-products.com/ to see what I am talking about. Therefore, I am very confident that open-source software will just grow with time and be more and more useful to millions out there as time progresses. Regards Pieter
Richard Gao
No, definitely not. In fact, with the release of Stable Diffusion and other open source AIs, open source is only becoming bigger. The main reason being there being an opportunity for profit. Take stable diffusion, for example, it's open source, but setting it up is still unconventional; nothing like a normal software you download. Nor complicated, but complicated enough to turn off most people. Furthermore, a lot of people don't have Nvidia GPUs, or just don't have a good enough computer. Business opportunity! So definitely not going away any time soon. In fact, I'm currently jumping on this train and developing a stable diffusion API myself for all the app devs making stable diffusion apps. If anyone wants to follow along on my journey, feel free to follow on twitter @TheRealEtch
Viktor Brešan
Dominance of tech giants is what fuels open source development. So short answer to your title question would be - no, the era of open source software is not coming to an end. Take for example domination of Microsoft OS about 30 years ago. Nowadays the dominant OS is Linux, which is open source. 70% of people with smartphones are running it. Just like +90% of server computers. And all of fastest 500 world's supercomputers. And it's a first OS on a planet other than Earth. At least that we are aware of. The future of open source software is brighter than the future of commercial software. What can we do to ensure it: - promote the open source software that we are using - contribute to open source development PS: this is the third comment on your post. Previous two used this opportunity to promote their products and social network channels. Is that an usual thing here on ProductHunt?
Viktor Brešan
WordPress - free and open source. Dominating the internet being installed on more than 40% of the top 10 million websites.
Viktor Brešan
git - free and open source. Dominating source control systems being used by more than 90% of developers.
Saurabh Wadhawan
Open Source is here to stay. See Bloom is out while openAI's davinci makes people wow, about time products will be built on top of bloom and alike models. Similarly quite a few chat apps coming out of age built on top of OSS stack.
Ivica Delic
II believe Open source is here to stay, for many, many years in the future, as it is just too important, and it has a strong base of people/businesses supporting it, so I am optimistic toward its future. What is OpenAI opinion about it ;-) ********* Open source software has played a significant role in the growth and development of the tech industry, and it continues to be an important part of the ecosystem today. One of the main advantages of open source software is that it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This allows developers to build upon and improve existing software, leading to a faster pace of innovation and a more diverse range of solutions. There are also economic benefits to open source software. By using open source tools, startups and other organizations can save money on proprietary software licenses and focus their resources on building and improving their products. However, it is important to recognize that open source software relies on the contributions and support of both individual developers and companies. As the tech industry has become more consolidated, there is a risk that a few large tech giants will dominate the market and become the main contributors to open source projects. This could lead to a decline in the number of truly open source projects, as well as a shift towards projects that serve the interests of these companies rather than the broader community. To ensure that open source remains a vital part of the tech ecosystem, it is important for both individual developers and companies to continue to contribute to and support open source projects. This can be done through financial contributions, by contributing code and other resources, and by participating in the open source community through events and online forums. It is also important for companies to recognize the value of open source and to prioritize it in their business strategies.
Manoj Radhakrishnan
The open source scene is picking up pace and actively disrupting sectors which were not earlier open source first. And I am myself working on a open source product, with monetization as a secondary objective. Open source raises the bar to innovate - because only those which innovate can monetize. Open source fosters trust - which is difficult to achieve in commercial products. So, if the tech giants stop funding open source projects, they would get disrupted soon.
Caroline Schneider
My short answer: open-source is here to stay and will only continue to grow. - I firmly believe that the open source mindset is what makes the software industry so unique! I am part of a team of developers that puts open source at the heart of our business. We have two open source projects (a React framework called react-admin and a carbon calculator called GreenFrame.io). Since the launch of the two projects, we have experienced steady growth 📈
Valdiss Kramar
We need to get financial licenses in the EU, how can we do it? We are going to open a branch in Germany, what is the best way to do it?
Demian Dex
You must have a detailed business plan for 3-5 years, as well as a placed office and business registration in the country where you open a branch. After that you can get a license.
Valdiss Kramar
Some of this we already have ready. But I know that the registration of the license is also quite a long process. Maybe you know companies that provide such services?
Demian Dex
Be prepared then to set up a trust deed that will provide some of the management and document collection capabilities of your company. You can get help with setup an EMI license from this company at this link. They've been in the business for a few years, but they've already closed over 50 such contracts with companies and opened up licenses in different countries. You can see the list of countries on their website.