This document discusses opportunities for building businesses based on open source software in the cloud. It outlines some historical context on open source beginning in 1983 and common pain points users experience with open source like difficult installation, lack of documentation, usability issues, and lack of support. However, these pain points can be addressed by building open source software as a cloud-based software as a service where there is no installation required, an elastic architecture, good documentation and support provided as part of the subscription, and fast bug fixes from a dedicated paid development team. Examples of companies like Indekspot that have built businesses this way improving on-site search and content filtering are provided.

1. Building a business on
Open Source
Open Source in the Cloud

2. Outline
A bit of history
Relevant Opportunities
Examples
Indekspot

3. History
1983 :GNU … 1989:GPL … 1991: Linux …
present - collaborative development
@wikipedia

4. Opportunities
"In the middle of difficulty lies
opportunity.“
Albert Einstein

5. “Open-source software is free
if your time is worth nothing.“
Marten Mickos

6. Major pain points
each one has exceptions

7. Pain #1: Installation
process
difficult setup procedure
lacking documentation

8. Pain #2: Documentation
developer centric & lacking

9. Pain #3: Usability
combined with lack of
documentation leads to
disaster

10. Pain #4: Support
an active community is not
enough

11. Pain #5: Bug fixes
users != developers

12. What about The
Cloud?

13. Software as a Service
built around Open Source
just one of the many business models

14. No installation required
elastic architecture
point and click interface

15. Good documentation and
support
provided as part of the
subscription

16. Fast bug fixes
dedicated paid
development team

17. A Win - Win Scenario

18. Examples

22. index - spot

23. improved on-site search &
content filtering

24. " thousands tiny search engines "

25. built around ...

26. the cloud is just a
distribution platform

27. Thanks! Questions?
Andrei Savu
http://www.andreisavu.ro/