Open Source
Open for Business
At Saturn Flyer we are an open-source shop. We release software because we believe in growing the Rails and Radiant ecosystems. We also encourage clients to release software as open source, where that software might have broad appeal, as a project sponsor. Why would someone give away their hard work in ‘this economy?’ Over time other developers may choose to bug fix or contribute to the code, which would benefit us and our customers directly. Indirectly, it builds support of the ecosystem around the tools used to build their solution. That can draw more developers and more users, broadening the pool of talent and knowledge upon which the client can draw.
Being open source isn’t just about good karma, it’s about good business. Software acquisition costs, plus support and maintenance fees can often be dwarfed by implementation fees and consultants to customize the software to the customer requirements. In many cases the software cannot be customized and the customer just has to adjust their processes to match what the software supports. In other words, a developer you’ve never met just told you how to run your business. Agile, open-source software lends itself to customization to a degree not possible with proprietary, closed source software. It puts you, the business user, back in the driver’s seats, and bends the software to fit your needs.