[TriLUG] Can open source solutions be viable companies?

[Vestal, Roy L.]

You wrote:
I need you to clarify one thing - are you talking about using open-source
solutions in your company or are you talking about building a company to
supply open-source solutions?

We are a looking at using open source in our company to provide data
solutions for clients. We are not looking to supply open source solutions in
the sense that we are going to "create" open source software, but use open
source solutions to deliver intellectual properties.

You wrote:
Enter in open-source. Now the consultants show up on site with a lathe and
not a black box. They have the tools to design a solution that fits the
customer's needs, and then they can place that code back into CVS so that it
can grow (as well as be tested by a much larger audience).

This is something were sort of doing. We want to use open source tools to
create a large database of information for clients. We then "sell" them the
hardware with the software loaded and the data that they paid us to research
for them.

You wrote:
For my business model, there is also an added benefit. When you run a
consulting shop, what do you do when your folks are not billable? In my
case, they work on support and on improving the open-source code. Thus I can
level out their activity over time.

Need any help ;)