Why would anyone pay for something that is based on Open Source?

I came across a post today in one of the mailing lists I frequent where the user asked "Why would anyone pay for something at is based on Open Source". This question comes up many many times in various projects and in various forms.

I did post a reply to the message, hopefully helping to educate, but thought the question was worthy of deeper exploration.

What is Open Source

Lets start with a definition, so that we are all thinking the same thing. Open Source is one of those nebulous terms that can mean different things in different contexts, or to different people. A quick Google Search finds many articles that discuss the meaning. There are some rather formal definitions out there, and most of those are couched in terms of "licensing", and "permissions". But Open Source is more than that. The Wikipedia entry for Open Source is a good example of a detailed discussion that only grasps some of the issues. That article is under dispute for the way some of the issues are presented.

To me, the idea of Open Source is not tied to software in particular. Though this is a good starting point. At it's very core, Open Source is about sharing ideas and skills to make the community a better place. Feel free to substitute "family, world, neighborhood, or environment" for the word "community".

Picture a friend who decides to paint the interior of their house. But this friend knows little about painting. Another friend offers to help and together they begin the job. In the process of doing the work, an exchange of ideas and skills takes place. A discussion of how best to do the job, what the process should be, etc. At the end of the task, both friends are better off - the first now has experience painting and learned a good deal about how to tackle the job themselves. The second friend has learned more about their friend and helped a job get done faster. There may be some form of payment in there - dinner, beer, etc. but need not be a requirement. THIS is Open Source, in my eyes.

Sharing knowledge, applying my skills to help others where possible, learning from those I am helping. This is my idea of Open Source.

Of course, no one likes to be taken advantage of, so some "help" comes at a price - whether that price is an hourly rate in a business transaction, or a free meal for helping a friend.

The Confusion

Where people tend to get confused about Open Source is when money enters the picture. But no where in the above description do we say that Open Source cannot involve money.

To paraphrase our title question, we can ask "Why pay for something that is free?" With regards to Open Source, the "free" part doesn't matter if it is free of cost, or the freedom to do what you want. This question comes up in many different areas - everything from software to bottled water.

The point to remember is that you may end up using a product that is free, but getting that product to you, or into a form that you can use, WHEN you need it, that part may not be free. Anyone can walk down to the local river/lake/stream/pond and take a bottle of water away with them. But you have then not enjoyed the convenience of going to the local store (assuming it is MUCH closer), and getting distilled water that is known to be safe to drink.

The same applies to software. While I can just go to the Internet and download the latest Linux distribution, or jQuery library, this makes the assumption that I know what to do with it, and can make it fit my needs. But I am a developer and technician who is familiar with these things. It would be a huge disservice to paint everyone else with my characteristics.

Nurses, retail workers, carpenters, and whatever trade you can think of - these people may not know how to apply these tools to meet their needs. Or they may simply not have the time. In these cases it becomes feasible to pay someone who does have the knowledge or time, to do the job.

We call this a "service" or "support". There are entire business models built on providing services and/or support.

The Answer

People pay for something that is based on Open Source as a matter of convenience, or support. Or the desire to pay for that something may be altruistic.

It may be more convenient to pay someone else who has the needed knowledge to take on a task. This may be due to time constraints, or the question of focus. It doesn't make sense to have a Piano teacher learn how to make fancy web pages to promote their business, if that teacher has no interest in computers at that level. Or it may be that a company doesn't have the necessary expertise to build a widget that meets their needs.

People may need ongoing support. A company may need a simple web application but know they will need changes over time. So a support contract becomes feasible.

Or a person may feel the need to "give back" to the "community" that helped them out a great deal. I have seen people insist on paying for a burned Linux CD given away for free at COSSFEST because they wanted to show their appreciation of the efforts to produce that CD and the convenience it has provided them. I see people learning new things, then immediately sharing these things with others - simply because someone shared it with them and made their work a little easier. Sure, this is altruism, but it's also about being fair.

Above all, Open Source is about working with others to improve the current state of things. The idea can easily be applied to any trade. Any endeavor. The idea is catching on and is being seen outside of the software industry.