"The fact that LibreFarm is a program made with a
productivity tool such as GeneXus, that has a license that promotes productivity
-allowing many programmers to work on this- will be a great boost to this KB.
This is my conviction," Stenger assures. However, he admits that this is a
long-term project, "because it will take time to persuade people that this makes
sense."
The decision that you have made is unusual in the business
world. What did you assess in order to take this step?
It's not easy for a company to turn proprietary
software into open source software. We are a small business and we measure
risk accordingly. We know that nothing bad will happen to us if we decide
to release the knowledge base (KB); on the contrary, our chances grow because
more people will get to know the product. Capturing people's attention is
in itself an added value for us. Besides, this crosses country borders very rapidly.
It has already been downloaded in a number of countries and this has really
shocked us, because it opens the doors for us to eventually partner with companies
in other markets. This represents a potential increase in the number of
programmers, without investment; programmers are self-sustaining and know why they
contribute with LibreFarm. I am assuming risks, but these risks are being managed.
I trust in the GeneXus community to respect the license and to feel motivated
because this is a good project to work on. Actually, other programs for
other kinds of business may stem from LibreFarm or the same program may be translated
into other languages, all of which will have to be licensed as free
software.
Why do you say that free software fosters productivity?
Software
is inherently meant to be copied; you can
make a thousand copies of a given piece of software and its quality will remain
intact. This is a virtue not always shared by other products. Since software
is subject to be copied, many people can invest time in studying and improving
it, people who communicate with each other. In short, the fact that all
these people have access to a copy of the same piece of software and improve it,
gives programmers a great advantage over other kinds of professionals. Free
software respects this nature and makes it possible for other programmers to
work at a very low cost.
The software industry can work
well based on free software, using a different model from the one prevailing
nowadays. Actually, there are many companies who are currently doing that.
It is true that software engineering has some problems. There are
widespread statistics showing that more than 60% of all software projects fail
to meet deadlines and comply with the original budget. Free software will
have an impact on system-design productivity. As a matter of fact, it is
actually doing so, for instance, on the PostgreSQL database - supported by
GeneXus. This database has an amazing design, many features, and has been
made possible thanks to the use of free software. This kind of software will necessarily
modify the development pace that has been in place so far. A trend known
as extreme programming is another attempt to improve the quality of software
development. This trend is applied to proprietary software and consists of
making the whole source code available to all the programmers in a company. Business
models are always changing; however, nobody is in a position to ensure the
solution of all your problems. Free software is a way of working based on some
certainties, which have to be explored in action in the business world. We know
that outside of it, they work very well.
What are the changes brought about by the publication of
the KB, from the point of view of your particular business?
The business remains the same: we have consulting clients, service
clients. This kind of software allows us to provide service regardless of
whether the program's source code has been released.
Do you mean that your business is not focused on the sale
of the KB, but on related services?
Software
companies make money from the services that they provide, not so much from
licenses. We depend on value-added services, although this is hard to prove
because nobody opens their books so easily. Warranties, telephone attention,
visits, consulting, and training are all examples of this kind of service.
Licenses generate income every now and then; however, the major contribution
comes from monthly fees charged to clients for value-added services.
The crisis prevailing in the country (Uruguay) has
also made sales go down, but we have mainly tried to focus on service. I'm sure
that programmers get much more out of services related to the software that we
build, than from chasing copyright violators. The pharmacy business is very
dynamic, and conditions are constantly changing for my clients. For instance,
nowadays they are going to go back to the "mutual" market. This is generating
specific needs so they call me because they trust me. The fact that the source
code is published now, does not affect the trusting relationship existing with
my clients.
So you say: I have a client portfolio to which I'm
connected through a trust-based relation, and they will keep turning to me.
Exactly. That is my hope. As a matter of fact, I
do not think this will change things at all. I have asked some clients about this
move, and the idea was welcome. Clients buy an operational KB, but they know
that it will necessarily change. If it doesn't evolve, that means that something
wrong is happening to that business. The publication of KBs adds more value
for the customer. In the business world, all software companies owe something
to their users, who always have needs that exceed what programmers can actually
offer. Although it is a right granted by law, the fact that only your company
has the source code is bad for users. That's so because they would like that
program to grow, and they would like to see your company grow as well. If for
some reason you fail to provide the changes they require, free software licensing
offers them more chances to have other people implement those changes. This
generates a community of people working on a KB, who save the changes in a
common core -GXOpen- in an official version. Having lots of people checking out
the code helps to improve the program. This benefits users and programmers, who
will adopt the changes in their knowledge base. The client is free to buy it
from me or not.
How many clients does LibreFarm have?
About 100 users.
Do you remember anybody saying "This is crazy"?
Yes, but then they say that you are an intelligent
person and that you know what to do. This decision also has to do with
devoting time to thinking about programming, what it is, and about the activity
you do. If you are just a programmer who implements requirements, you will
have a certain lifestyle. I like programming way beyond that. I like to get down
to the very core of programming. We are a small company and cannot stop our product
from being pirated. How much money would I have to invest in a lawyer to go
after possible violators? As a matter of fact, users of our pirated software have
shown up, and we have treated them like customers. What I'm saying is that I
do profit from the copyable nature of software. If someone uses my software for
free and one day decides to pay for my services, it will be good for me because
my selling cost will be lower. This is a way to foster sales. The day that
a given client decides to pay for our extra services related to a particular
piece of software, they will be welcome. Thinking that software will lose
value because it is being copied is underestimating our clients' business, which
is more complex than the software they might copy. You cannot do away with the
human process involved in software implementation. Free software just paves the
way for our presence.
Pharmacy Business Management project, published in GXOpen
http://www.gxopen.com/main/hproject.aspx?257
See: TESTIMONIALS Freeware Project In the GeneXus
Community