Success for Apache or for ASL?
Posted by billburke on August 16, 2009
This is an add-on to my previous post…
Now this Spring acquisition is it really a big win for Apache as Matt says? Or is it really only a (minor) win for the ASL license? I would say the latter. When has there been a business success story for any project hosted at Apache.org on the magnitude of the SS, JBoss, or MySql? I don’t think the Gluecode guys or ServiceMix guys got much money.
This goes to an original point I made some time ago that Apache.org is a horrible place to build a business as Apache owns your brand. I know that’s how they like it and to each his own.
Andrew C. Oliver said
I think Lucid Imagination is a better pro-Apache example (yet still startup stage). Of course search is an entire category where the spring framework (the AL piece) is only a “developer preference” type framework. This is a bias for engines rather than APIs. On the other hand I think the SpringSource acquisition is a bit of a rebut for Apache and Apache Licensing. They sold after acquiring Hyperic (not AL), TC-Server (not AL) and DM-Server (not Apache license). So to be clear Apache licensing is clear for adoption of frameworks. It is far less clear for engines.
billburke said
Andy!!! Good to hear from you! Hope things are going good!
Andrew C. Oliver said
Things are pretty good. just busy.