[ic] Re: AOL in negotiation to buy Red Hat

[interchange-users@interchange.redhat.com (Mike Heins)]

Quoting Barry Treahy, Jr. (Treahy@mmaz.com):
> Lets remember that regardless of what the licensing policy is, it does
> take resources to develop software. Redhat wouldn't exist to support
> Linux and IC if they couldn't show a profit in one manner or another
> and I'm not attempting to suggest that MV or IC would not exist today
> without RH, but Mike needs to keep food on the table too and if the
> direct or indirect results of his MV/IC efforts didn't pay the bills,
> it would probably not have become the product it is today...

The source being open doesn't mean I am against making money. I happen
to believe that enlightened self-interest is the best incentive there
is for people to work hard and cooperate. 

Let me be another to speak out for capitalism -- it has the virtue of
working. Indeed, I made a good living from Minivend before it became
Interchange. Red Hat is making a living now, becoming profitable at
last. Neither would be here long if that didn't happen; the companies
that were burning money without making it have almost finished dying
out.

Remember, only 10% of a typical project is software licensing cost when
using proprietary software. We aim to get our 10% out of the other 90%.
If some of you didn't know, there are actually Interchange consultants
that specialize in this area who make a living on Interchange. They also
get some of that 90%.

If you are good at solving problems, you tend to make a living no matter
what your area of specialization. Open source is young, but it is
beginning to solve problems with regularity. I believe that because it
solves problems it will survive, and that IC and Red Hat will survive as
a couple of good examples of it.

-- 
Red Hat, Inc., 3005 Nichols Rd., Hamilton, OH  45013
phone +1.513.523.7621      <mheins@redhat.com>

Fast, reliable, cheap.  Pick two and we'll talk.  -- unknown