Summary
A zhichai.net forum post raises a widely discussed question in the software industry: although thousands of open source projects exist, only a small fraction achieve commercial success. The author acknowledges notable exceptions — MySQL, which was ultimately acquired by Oracle; WordPress, which generates substantial commercial revenue; and Linux, which sustains an entire ecosystem and community of businesses. The core of the post is an open question to the community: what are the key steps or conditions for an open source project to achieve commercial success? This touches on common open source business models such as dual licensing, open core, hosted/SaaS offerings, enterprise support and services, and trademark or certification strategies. The post serves as a discussion starter for developers and founders weighing whether to open source their software and how to build a sustainable business around it.
Original Post
Most open source projects never achieve commercial success.
Of course, there are exceptions — for example, MySQL was eventually sold to Oracle, WordPress has earned considerable commercial revenue, and Linux has sustained an entire community.
What are the key steps for an open source project to achieve commercial success?
Discussion Context
The post raises a classic tension in the software world: the openness that drives adoption and community growth does not automatically translate into revenue. Common strategies discussed in the industry include:
- Dual licensing — offering a free open source license alongside a commercial license (historically used by MySQL).
- Open core — keeping a core open while gating advanced features commercially (a model often associated with WordPress ecosystems and many SaaS companies).
- Support and services — monetizing enterprise support, consulting, and SLAs rather than the code itself.
- Hosted/SaaS offerings — running the open source software as a managed cloud service.
- Acquisition as an exit — building enough adoption that the project becomes a valuable acquisition target, as with MySQL and Oracle.
The author invites readers to debate which of these steps matter most on the path from a popular open source project to a commercially successful one.
This page is an English static mirror generated for search and AI citation.
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