How do you make a site GNU and make money?

[tiger86]

I am well aware of Netscape going open source which ended the company. I am also aware of wordpress.com owned by automattic. That is also GNU. What is the difference between the two? I have an idea that I want to be GNU but I don't want it stolen. Wordpress has done very well while netscape didn't. Any advice would be very helpful.

[NicAx64]

There is no statement that you can't earn money by selling linux
in GNU GPL. you can sell linux and earn money.

Think about the red hat company. Their linux version is Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. But there is a free community linux named fedora.
Fedora is susponded by the Red Hat and they integrate the technologies from the Fedora project. As I knew the server costs
of the project hosting in Fedora project is paid by the Red Hat company.

You can just download the fedora , but Red hat enterprise linux you
have to buy. that is the difference. No matter you can grab the sources and rebuild. and there is a linux release called scientific
linux that is also stable as Red hat Enterprise. But ppl still
pay money for the red hat enterprise and buy it. So the reason
is that technology + support + consulting @ redhat is fit to the
customer needs.

so no matter what other alternatives there are still domains that
fix's only the technologies and expertise that you provide .

so yes you can earn money with GPL.

[scru]

You better hope windowsrefund doesn't find this thread.

[jbennet]

Yeah :). Also GNU != GPL. The GNU are a company which happens to provide a number of licences.

have an idea that I want to be GNU but I don't want it stolen

Thats the point. Its meant to be 'stolen'. Its share and share-alike. Basically if you release it under the GPL others can use your sourcecode in other products so long as those products are also licenced under the GPL.

You must provide the sourcecode for free or a (very minimal shipping) fee. E.g redhats source is rebuilt to make CentOS.

What you essentially pay for when you buy RedHat is the support.

I am well aware of Netscape going open source which ended the company

No, Internet Explorer finished the company...

[jephthah]

I am well aware of Netscape going open source which ended the company.

Then you're not well aware of anything regarding this issue.

Netscape Navigator was a proprietary browser that was licensed to personal users for free. Internet Explorer soon dominated the market due to a number of factors, including monopolistic practices by MSFT and bad business decisions by Netscape. After the release of IE 4.0, Netscape was all but dead in the water.

Netscape, as a business were totally outclassed and outgunned by Microsoft. They open sourced their browser's code under the Netscape Public License (NPL), then shortly thereafter sold the licensing rights to AOL.

Netscape was never, at any time, GNU.

GNU is but one type of public license for free and open source software. since obviously you're not talking about GNU, you should start using the term FOSS (Free and Open Source Software), or just "open source" instead of GNU.

I have an idea that I want to be GNU but I don't want it stolen.

you dont make any sense. if you don't want it "stolen" then don't release it to a public license.

take your gold plated code, lock it up in a vault, sell your distributed binaries for ridiculous profit, then retire in the bahamas.

.

[NicAx64]

You must provide the sourcecode for free or a (very minimal shipping) fee. E.g redhats source is rebuilt to make CentOS.

True but I think that scientific linux is more stable than the CentOs build too. and it have a good look too.And it's freeeee !

Thats the point. Its meant to be 'stolen'. Its share and share-alike. Basically if you release it under the GPL others can use your sourcecode in other products so long as those products are also licenced under the GPL.

It's not the point and how you can earn money by selling your expertise. Either
you can compile the source code and make the product , that will not perfectly
match you'r business or business domain. You'r business domain still
need the expertise to run it and you can earn money by selling that expertise.
the source code is just a tool , like a hammer and everyone free to have it. But you have to crave it related .example take about two banks , the way that
one bank using their security policy is different from another.so that is why
they still need the expertise to run. so you can provide a good consulting service and earn money. That's the open source word.Actually when you
buy RHE means that they partially agree to consult your problem +support.
security alerts web based help and sometimes consulting help.

see this video ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2xfrApGOr4

and please watch all the parts of this GNU movie.

that is the difference of the Micorsoft and the GNU . They close the code
so nobody can extend it. They thinks they are only the experts that
can extend the OS. But in GNU world you are free to lean test and use and
extend the os. Pice of code is just a tool you can make it money by crave it to
your business domain.
to you're business domain.

[jbennet]

I think that scientific linux is more stable than the CentOs build too

They are built from the 99% same sources. The only real difference is the branding.

CentOS has a reputation for stability, its the foundation for a number of enterprise-grade systems like Oracle Unbreakable Linux (which runs in huge datecentres - where stability is crucial)

[NicAx64]

The only real difference is the branding.

ha ha ha 500 times true ! I have that experience cos I had a friend
who is a Red Hat qualified engineer.I can remember what he said about the fedora project he said 'fedora is a alpha version'.

These are the politics among the Opensource world. I don't know
whether you can download centOs For free or not . But I 100% know that scientific linux is stable and suitable enterprise and can download per free.

However RHEL own their trade name by their expertise. They provide good support and good stability too. and as I know
you can compile and redistribute without the trademarks of red
hat.

and sorry again all. May be I love Scientific linux bcos our university using it.

[NicAx64]

you dont make any sense. if you don't want it "stolen" then don't release it to a public license.

how can you steal the trade name that Netscape obtained
via that pice of software ? some ppl know about the AOL and their
mail and their search engine via this browser.Otherwise why
AOL take it ?

[jbennet]

I can remember what he said about the fedora project he said 'fedora is a alpha version'.

Its true. Fedora is basically a testing ground for RedHat enterprise linux. Fedora gets all the cutting edge stuff, users use it, and then a few years down the line it is deemed sufficiently tested for inclusion in the commercial RedHat.Works well though, because home users generally want the latest and greatest, whereas companies want stability. RedHat 5 is based on roughly fedora core 4, Redhat 6 will be based roughly on fedora 10.

how can you steal the trade name that Netscape obtained
via that pice of software

They didnt use the name, they used the code. Netscape -> Mozilla -> Firefox

[NicAx64]

Its true. Fedora is basically a testing ground for RedHat enterprise linux. Fedora gets all the cutting edge stuff, users use it, and then a few years down the line it is deemed sufficiently tested for inclusion in the commercial RedHat.

ouch that hurts ! Fedora may be unstable than Red-hat but it's not
a alpha version. as I knew the odd numbers are unstable and testing. However I agree it's not good for server side mission critical
domains.

They didnt use the name, they used the code. Netscape -> Mozilla -> Firefox

well not only Firefox , Firefox got that name not only with the firefox ,
the Ubuntu project.there are license problems about that firefox name also. that's why same code is in so many different names "sea money" "iceweasel" .

look , why debian can't use the name mozilla firefox ?

[jbennet]

why debian can't use the name mozilla firefox ?

Debian developers sign a social contract which says that they try to be totally free and open with regards to trademarks and patents. There is additional restrictions on the trademark firefox and the logo, hence it was rebranded as iceweasel. Ubuntu doent do this, they ship both free and non free stuff (e.g the nonfree flash plugin, java, nvidia drivers)

[tiger86]

Wow I am surprised at how of a heated debate this topic is! I have continued doing my research and I've had the pleasure of having a short conversation with the inventor of wordpress. He gave me some very good advice. I can see why some people think it is stupid to have your code under GPL but then again it is ingenius if you set everything up just right. It all has to do with the process.