[consulting] Is this list dead?

[Sam Tresler]

So let me turn this around for a second and say that the angle this list 
is taking about is from the business/sales end.  When it comes own to 
it, its not just the functionality or design that you are offering that 
is going to make a business successful.  It's what you are actually 
selling or how you are making your money.

Ever since we switched over from analog, everything can be cloned - I 
won't discuss whether its easy or difficult to clone a web service, but 
all protecting your code is going to do if you have a good idea is 
_delay_ the inevitable cloning.  Which may be worthwhile.

But it doesn't really matter if you are cloned, if what your selling is 
contingent on something only you are offering.

MySpace could release all there code under GPL tomorrow and not really 
be significantly threatened (except maybe by hackers but thats another 
story).  They have 16million(?) users - and a whole host of advertising 
and demographic contracts - non of which has to do with code.

Similarly, I wouldn't worry about releasing the code of a new music 
site, if I had the musicians hooked on using my service already.

Ergo, if "you're friend" (hi morbus!) needs a headstart to establish 
what he is selling as 'his' then sure - hold back and spend a little 
more investment on keeping the code inhouse and maintaining your own 
versioning system etc.  If there is no discernible gain in establishing 
branding or mutually-beneficial contracts then it is a waste of money (I 
can easily see how there would be a gain there).

I've never understood why these things are always discussed as one or 
the other.  I personally like the clause in a business plan "We will be 
releasing an open-source version after x # of new users joins"  or 
"after x number of $"  Obviously, abide by the law if you plan on doing 
that, whatever applies in your case.