Re: alternatives for funding

[John W. Eaton]

On 12/14/2013 04:04 AM, Pascal Dupuis wrote:
> This thread is about : Let's sell some lower-cost alternative to an
> expensive piece of software. What is selled is not the software but
> the expertise around it.
>
> At first sight, it makes sense. But let me remind you from recent
> history that followers have a much harder time surviving than leaders.
> For a concrete exemple, look at the IBM 360 and 370 series, started in
> 1966. There were numerous business producing compatible replacement
> (Hitachi, Olivetti, Bull, Digital Equipment, ...), but none of them
> actually succeeded in taking a significant share of this market. Some
> of them didn't survive either.

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement.  :-/

BTW, in case my earlier message also sounded discouraging, I did not 
mean it that way.  I would be happy to encourage one or more support 
businesses to form around Octave and perhaps to even be a part of them 
(well, I already have my own).  My point was that it needs to be done as 
a business, not using the FSF to collect the funds, because the FSF is a 
charity and can really only accept donations.

Again, I would prefer to discuss any details off the list.

jwe