I share this information in case it helps the next generation of IT students and those starting in the IT industry.
In 2003 I was interested in OpenOffice.org and put the software on around 60 machines. Myself and my family also used the software. I didn't like that there wasn't an Australian English dictionary so I developed one. What I didn't realise is the approach I took was to bite me in the end.
The project lead said to grab an existing dictionary and start from there. I took the UK dictionary and spent most of the next two weeks solid, editing the dictionary. I needed to remove over 30,000 words and then start adding words. You'll note that at no time did I or anyone consider the person who previously developed the British dictionary.
I released my work as LGPL so other IT people could benefit and I had a belief that when I help others, others would help me. Apart from a couple of people who helped a bit at the start with words, over the next few years a handful contributed a word or two. All the rest of the work was done by me consuming hundreds of hours.
I decided to try to make money from my work by charging a small fee which is OK with open source software. I was often abused as many open source users consider it their right to get everything for nothing.
Then a contributor of the Firefox project took my work and called it their own. Changed my licence by finding a loophole in the LGPL licence. Rather than contribute to my work they simply forked it. Firefox, an $80 million dollar business benefited from my work and gave nothing back.
Next I asked Google Chrome to add Australian English to their browser so I could provide my work. To their credit I found a developer who provided the software required for me to produce the dictionary in the correct format. Then the Google Chrome developers came and grabbed a copy of my work and included it in their project and gave nothing back. Now a $21 billion dollar business was benefiting from my work.
Finally Opera came along and told me they were using my work. I asked why all the projects simply leeched my work and gave nothing back. The response was it is open source after all.
An OpenOffice.org user then decided to take the Firefox files and even though I'd put hundreds of hours of work into the files, minimised the credit to me as a minor contributor.
The total income I received by various methods of trying to raise income including voluntary donations was around $150 over six years.
I estimated there was probably around a million users of my work and my daughter once said, imagine if you had $1 for each user dad. Even less would have enabled me to continue developing my Australian English dictionary work and reduced my consulting work.
I'm now building a completely original Australian English spellcheck dictionary which contains the preferred Australian English spelling.
So in around seven years of contributing to the open source community and with most of the major projects using my work, the income from open source has amounted to around $150.
I now focus my work on commercial work and commercial programs. Most of my clients use commercial software.
Once I realised I had fallen into the trap early on of taking from others with the original UK dictionary and not giving back to those who gave, I tried to make amends by apologising and also offering assistance if wanted.
I hope that by sharing this story others can benefit from my experience. Of course it is only my experience and others may have had a different experience. I am in a different situation as I am self employed and the time I put in to open source is a cost against my income. Others who may be supported by an employer's salary will have a different experience and need.
Regards,
Kelvin Eldridge
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It is a shame that the best-spirited intentions get overlooked/abused, even by the best-spirited projects. Good luck with your work.
ReplyDeleteYou were often abused as many open source users consider it their right to get everything for nothing? I would have to say that you devs shouldn't expect to get any money off of open source, that goes against the meaning of "open". Technically your dictionary came from a fork of someone else's dictionary. Did you pay them any royalties on the money you made? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteThank you Aaron for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIn case it helps, as I understand it, there is nothing wrong with receiving money for open source. It is even OK to sell open source material.
The statement is "free as in freedom, not free beer". Which is that others are free to do what they want as you are. But "not free beer" because people can charge a price. I don't recall selling the product. I did ask for donations and tried the payment of a distribution fee, but payment for the product would have been OK too.
In terms of the people whose material I used as a starting point, I did contact one to make amends. I was not able to contact the other. I did not realise that what I was doing was being a leech of others work without giving back to them. You don't know, what you don't know and I was guided by others.
I am happy to pay for commercial software and to pay royalties if required. I just wish some of the open source material was available for sale also as commercial software. Open source restricts your ability to earn a living off your work. If I'm making money I see no problems with sharing that with others that contribute.
Kelvin Eldridge
If you licensed your work as open-source, then expected to gain in any way from that, then you were sorely mistaken. By releasing your work under a free license, you gave people the *right* to do whatever the hell they wanted to your dictionary at no charge.
ReplyDeleteI've written and released a little bit of code as free software before. I did it for fun, and to share, not because I was expecting anything back. The whole point is that it benefits groups of people as a whole, full stop.
Oh, and thank you for providing an Australian dictionary for various widely-used apps, if it makes any difference, (even if you feel like they stole it from you). :)
Hi Josee,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts. I just want to state I didn't sell my work. I did release the work as free software under the LGPL licence so other developers could use my work and hopefully benefit, including financially. No one has stolen anything. Free software (LGPL) is about freedom, it isn't about price.
I did mention a fee which was a distribution fee I tried at one stage, which is entirely acceptable in open source. Selling the software is also acceptable (which I didn't do), but once sold people have the freedom to do what they want. A handful of people donated for which I will always be grateful. It also isn't just about software. There are many ways to help, to give back to those who help you. A link, a word, a thank you.
Sharing your thoughts as you have is a way of giving back. Thank you for your time and your thank you.
My only desire is to share my journey so that others can learn and benefit from my experience.
Kelvin