PDA

View Full Version : Mozilla corporation made 72M US$ last year thanks to Google



Bragador
March 6th, 2006, 10:46 PM
I've just discovered that each time you use the google box in the top right corner of the Firefox browser, (edit: and you click on google adds) you are supporting open software development.

Isn't it great ?

http://www.technoogle.com/?p=408
http://www.calacanis.com/2006/03/06/firefox-mozilla-corporation-mozilla-foundation-made-72m-last/

Kernel Sanders
March 6th, 2006, 10:49 PM
Excellent, all without troubling the end user...... brings a tear to the eye..... :cry:

Just how open source should work! \\:D/

welsh_spud
March 6th, 2006, 11:34 PM
Why can't Ubuntu do something like this? Or do they?

briancurtin
March 7th, 2006, 12:32 AM
Why can't Ubuntu do something like this? Or do they?
do something like what? ubuntu is not mozilla.

gord
March 7th, 2006, 12:42 AM
ubuntu isn't about making money ;)

Sirin
March 7th, 2006, 12:45 AM
Ubuntu goes by anonymous, random contributions of small sums. Simply getting sponsored by Google or any other company ruins and breaks the sole spirit of Ubuntu.

majikstreet
March 7th, 2006, 01:22 AM
Ubuntu goes by anonymous, random contributions of small sums. Simply getting sponsored by Google or any other company ruins and breaks the sole spirit of Ubuntu.
or non-anonymous large sums by geeky astronauts named Mark.

darkmatter
March 7th, 2006, 03:20 AM
Ubuntu goes by anonymous, random contributions of small sums. Simply getting sponsored by Google or any other company ruins and breaks the sole spirit of Ubuntu.

Not saying that Ubuntu should do the large scale sponsorship thig.... just making a little observation regarding oss/sponsorship...

Say I put together an oss team to build a distro/other project with a maifesto parellel tho that of Ubuntu... and I'll quote Ubuntu to save some time:


Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.


*

Ubuntu will always be free of charge, and there is no extra fee for the "enterprise edition", we make our very best work available to everyone on the same Free terms.
*

Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from hundreds of companies around the world. Ubuntu is released regularly and predictably; a new release is made every six months. Each release is supported with free security updates and fixes for at least 18 months.
*

Ubuntu will include the very best in translations and accessibility infrastructure that the Free Software community has to offer, to make Ubuntu usable by as many people as possible. We collaborate as widely as possible on bug fixing and code sharing.
*

Ubuntu is entirely committed to the principles of free software development; we encourage people to use free and open source software, improve it and pass it on.

Ok: so there is the commitment...

Now... along comes a) Google b)some other sponsor granting some form of financial contribution to aid in RnD... of course they have a vested intrest to do so... be it they intend to use it internally or offer it suport for it... presenting it as an alternative solution to their own customers and making a profit from the support offered (remember... even Canonical uses the commercial support model)

How would accepting said sponsorship sacrifice the 'spirit' of the commitment made by any project on those grounds??? The fact is that the manifesto still holds... only now we get a bit of a financial break to aid in RnD and put bread on the table and a roof over our heads... so to speak (yup... devs get the munchies too ;))

Granted... this is not really an issue with Uby... it has it's very own Daddy Warbucks turned astronaut behind it...

Just trying to understand your logic of how getting sponsored "ruins and breaks the sole spirit of Ubuntu"... or any other project with a similar commitment for that matter. :)

Regards...

DM

YourSurrogateGod
March 7th, 2006, 03:34 AM
Excellent!

*insert a maniacal laugh*

Zeroangel
March 7th, 2006, 03:40 AM
Yes, I agree. Ubuntu will have to pay for itself eventually. It is not as though Google would be 'sponsoring' ubuntu by rebranding the OS or transmitting personal data to their servers.

It is not as though the user would be compelled to pay money to update the OS or to put up with annoyances introduced by forking sponsored closed source code into the distribution and forcing it on the user. I even doubt that the annoyance will go so far as the annoying AOL icon drops that Winamp does.

(although I think this would be the case if eg: the introduction of CNR removed or crippled Synaptic)

The reason why the Mozilla corporation making money from Google is a good thing is:
1) The user is given a choice to use alternate search engines
2) The user is not penalized for choosing otherwise
3) The process is transparent to the user
4) The user's privacy and/or rights are not violated

YourSurrogateGod
March 7th, 2006, 03:46 AM
Yes, I agree. Ubuntu will have to pay for itself eventually. It is not as though Google would be 'sponsoring' ubuntu by rebranding the OS or transmitting personal data to their servers.

It is not as though the user would be compelled to pay money to update the OS or to put up with annoyances introduced by forking sponsored closed source code into the distribution and forcing it on the user. I even doubt that the annoyance will go so far as the annoying AOL icon drops that Winamp does.

(although I think this would be the case if eg: the introduction of CNR removed or crippled Synaptic)
If Ubuntu manages to make money off its product and allow at the same time other companies to make money off of Ubuntu, then we will see a true competitor to Windows.