Open-Source is highly present. However, the competition in the end-user app space with Cloud providers is tough. A lot of proprietary solutions exist and are build on Open-Source libraries and technologies, but are not shared as Open-Source. XWiki SAS is a provider of open-source collaboration apps (XWiki, CryptPad) for now 15 years living only off it's Open-Source technologies. How is it possible to develop Open Source end-user apps ? What are the challenges to achieve this ? How do you finance the technology ? How do you sell it ? How do you differentiate your software from proprietary solutions ? This is the aim of this presentation, to share our experience and our history.

2. Can End-user apps be
Open Source ?
by Ludovic Dubost, XWiki SAS
OW2Con'20 Online
2

3. XWiki
Who am I ?
Ludovic Dubost
Creator of XWiki & Founder of
XWiki SAS
CryptPad
All Open Source
15 years of Open
Source business

4. 4
1
Infrastructure
The
m
ajority
is
based
on
O
pen
Source
2 D
evelopm
entTools
&
Libraries
M
ostdevelopm
enttools
are
O
pen
Source.Softw
are
is
m
assively
build
on
top
ofO
pen
Source
libraries
3
O
pen
Source
is
everyw
here
The
Proprietary
&
Cloud
Softw
are
w
orld
has
em
braced
O
pen
Source
Open Source is quite strong

5. 5
An invisible ceiling
End-user Open source apps
compete with Cloud apps using
Open Source code
Cloud & Proprietary providers still
dominate and don't share their
code
public domain image by j4p4n

6. I won't go in details why we need open
source end-user apps, but we do !
control & soverainty, openness,
flexibility, freedom

7. Company 1
high value-
add (> 80%)
Open-Source Code
Company 2
high value-add
(> 80%)
Customers
Selling higher-margin
product & services
(or advertisement)
Selling higher-margin
product & services
(or advertisement)
Selling lower-
margin
services and/or
products
Use code
Contributes
Contributes
Contributes
Proprietary code &
know-how
Proprietary code &
know-how
The Cloud & Proprietary Software business model
Selling to
other
companies
self-hosting
Open-Source Code
Open-Source
company (or
individuals)
Works on Open
Source code..

8. 8
Financials
Donations: 1M$ (in 2018)
Commercial & Sponsored Open-
Source: 2B$ to 10B$
This is the truck to 1 level of the
1Trillion$ Tech Industry tower
image from Tobie Langel

9. Open-Source Code
Customers
Selling value-
added products
Use code Contributes
Proprietary
code &
know-how
The end-user Open Source App Business Model
Selling
developer
services
Open-Source users
Transform
Open-Source
Company
< 20% value-
add
Used by Cloud, Proprietary &
Service software companies ?

10. Harder to get
contributors
End-User Open
Source
A challenging business
Competing with
proprietary cloud
End-users don't want
development, they want
products
Cloud hosters can
compete with your own
software

11. Open-Source Code
Customers
Selling value-
added products
Use code Contributes
Proprietary
code &
know-how
The end-user Open Source App Business Model
Selling
developer
services
Open-Source users
Transform
Open-Source
Company
< 20% value-
add
What is and how big
is the "Paying
services" box ?
Can other Open
Source companies
join and contribute ?
Are Open-Source
users contributing ?
Used by Cloud, Proprietary &
Service software companies ?
Can Cloud providers
be partners or are
they competitors ?

12. How can we fix this ?

13. Pay support, buy
extensions (even
small)
Are Open Source
users contributing
?Every Open Source user should
consider how they contribute to
the Free software they use ?
This includes Public
Administrations which can
contribute through public R&D
financing towards Open Source
Sponsor a feature
Donate
Contribute to the
community

14. Pay support, buy pro
versions, donate
Can other Open
Source software
companies
contribute ?Companies (product or service)
that integrate software should
look in ways to contribute to the
software and bring business to the
originating developers
Consider a share of business
towards up-stream code ?
Open Source companies
should integrate with other
Open Source apps
Stricter licences can protect
the Open Source eco-system
Contribute to the community

15. Paying services are key to
fund open source code
How big is the
Paying Services
box ?
Free and Open Source software
users need to accept the need for
Paying services
Open-Source company need to
consider the level at which they
are not really Open Source
anymore
Paying packages can be
Open Source
Control the level of non-
open source R&D
Stricter licences can also
be a protection

16. Cloud Providers can be
contributors of Open Source
code
Can Cloud providers
be partners or
competitors ?
Cloud providers can decide to be
competitors to Open Source
providers but will destroy the eco-
system
An Open Source Marketplace used
by Cloud providers and Public
Administration would be very
interesting
Cloud providers need to
support Open Source Apps
A Marketplace of Open
Source apps would be very
valuable
Stricter licences & Paying
modules can also be a
protection

17. Open-Source Code
Customers
Selling value-
added products
Use code Contributes
Proprietary
code &
know-how
The end-user Open Source App Business Model
Selling
developer
services
Open-Source users
Transform
Open-Source
Company
< 20% value-
add
What is and how big
is the "Paying
services" box ?
Can other Open
Source companies
join and contribute ?
Are Open-Source
users contributing ?
Used by Cloud, Proprietary &
Service software companies ?
Can Cloud providers
be partners or are
they competitors ?

18. What differentiates an Open Source
company from other is the size of the
Open Source contributions

19. These are the companies our eco-system
and our governements needs to support

20. THANK
YOU