Summary
A forum discussion on the commercial viability of open source software. The author observes that most open source projects fail to achieve commercial success, though notable exceptions exist: MySQL was eventually sold to Oracle, WordPress generates substantial commercial revenue, and Linux sustains an entire ecosystem and community. The post poses a central question to the community: what are the key steps for an open source project to achieve commercial success? This touches on common open source business models, including dual licensing, managed services and hosting, open core strategies, enterprise support, and acquisition as an exit path. The discussion is relevant to developers and founders weighing open source vs closed source strategies for sustainable monetization.
Original Post
Most open source projects never achieve commercial success.
Of course, there are exceptions — for example, MySQL was ultimately sold to Oracle, WordPress has earned substantial commercial revenue, and Linux has sustained an entire community.
What are the key steps for an open source project to achieve commercial success?
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*Note: This is a translation of a discussion starter. The examples cited — MySQL's acquisition by Oracle, WordPress's commercial ecosystem, and the community built around Linux — are drawn from the original post. No additional claims are made.*
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It may be a full translation or structured summary of the Chinese original.
Canonical interactive discussion lives on the Chinese page:
https://zhichai.net/topic/175860405