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By Kit_Hally on
ok i hope this wont get me kicked of here?
and just so you know im just wondering and there for asking thats all
i hope and would like to think that drupal.org does not mind
a investigating and wondering and exploring mind.
i wonder what this means and why this is happening:
seems to me that drupal is being split up
we got drupal.org here and now there is acquia.com
and look / guess who is on there?
The main man himself Mr. Dries Buytaert.
now why does this make me wonder?
because drupal and acquia suppose to be opposites
drupal is for all
while acquia is commercial
so who or what is limping from one leg to the other?
and why?
lets see what gets developed best or more?
do i mind people making a profit or exploiting stuff busyness wise?
hell no!
not if your clear on things, not if your a busyness
but...
Mr Dries Buytaert has started drupal for a reason i think?
and that reason originally was not commercial ( or so i hope )
so what has changed and why?
like i said just rambling , this is just my observation and i wonder
what conclusion(s) i can or should draw out of it, if and when at all.
Comments
Open Source
Hi there Kit_Hally
It can be quite a quandary when we think Open Source ought to be free through and through, and see a commercial enterprise spring up surrounding it, can't it.
You are brave and entitled to voice your thoughts. ;)
If you look at other projects, operating systems and the like, you will see that there are other businesses that sell their services or products around Open Source Software.
Yes, Dries is the lead developer of Drupal, and yes he has launched a commercial venture or two in the last little while but why shouldn't he? He is entitled to offer his expertise on the product to others who may want to pay for his support and knowledge. Its really no different from you and I doing the same with the product that he spear-headed and that the community continues to develop.
Perhaps your concern is that Drupal will loose the leadership and expertise of Dries because he's off 'rolling in the dough' (earning lots of $) ?
I think you can rest assured that Dries relies on the product (Drupal) continuing to be solid, reliable and functioning for him to continue to earn a living off it himself too.
Another way to look at it, is that we may have a talent that we enjoy or our children may have one that we foster in them; and then it comes to a point where we/they become so good at it that that we/they consider turning it into a business. Is that wrong? Does it detract from the enjoyment?
Some food for thought? :)
yeap sure some food for thought !
i love brain food !
winks
you know i get what your saying and i sure don't mind him to make money
(in fact i would not even mind if drupal asked a one time fee of 5 bucks .. mm hope i aint waking up sleeping dogs now? lol)
and i can understand to the exploring and enlarging of talents and pleasures
let a lone that i would mind anyone having fun doing stuff they like to do
besides it would be strange if all kinds of people make money by using drupal while the makers of it would be biting a wood stick
(although i personally ain't using drupal or our site it to make money b.t.w. but thats a different story/topic lol)
i guess im just a bit stuck in old fashion thinking when it comes to open source and free stuff ?
lol
but i always try to be open minded
thanks for your response !
and if you don't mind ,ill continue eating and chewing on it a bit more
and even though somethings might be hard to swallow (at first)?
mmm sometimes for what ever reason, one just might have to
winks ~ smiles ~ lol
have a great day
"Commercial" and "Open Source" are not opposites
Disclaimer: I work for Acquia.
Kit!
I was at a really exciting open source conference recently where developers from a variety of projects got together to geek out. A very prominent Drupal developer who works for a very prominent Drupal company that isn't Acquia was there. Said developer went to great lengths to explain to the people from other open source projects how it is that in the Drupal community "open source" can go hand-in-hand with "paying your rent".
Those of us who make our living working with Drupal are living the dream, in a way. We've been given the chance to marry something we are passionate about (Drupal) with keeping a roof over our heads. Wow! In this sense Acquia is very much a Drupal company - a group of Drupal contributors who have the chance to give back to the project and get paid for it at the same time.
By "giving back to the project" I mean giving all Acquia's Drupal code back, yes; maintaining personal Drupal projects, yes; but it's more, too. Acquia's business model is providing commercial support (and now hosting) for Drupal installations and developers - making Drupal palatable for the enterprise if you will.
Acquia invests a great deal of resources and money in improving Drupal: sponsoring code sprints, events, designers, etc. to improve *Drupal*. The fallout of a better Drupal that is easier to use should be more adoption of Drupal. The more people use Drupal, the more developers we win as a community and the better Drupal will get. Rinse, repeat.
As a consequence of more widespread use, there will also be a greater demand for Drupal services: development, theming, hosting, and support - the whole community benefits, Acquia, too.
There is no "Drupal vs. Acquia" or competition between drupal.org and acquia.com. Acquia is a service company basing its offering around Drupal and making smart investments in the future of the Drupal project that can benefit all of us involved in it.
- jam
--
Jeffrey A. McGuire
Senior Writer, Evangelist
Acquia Inc.
i got it !
thanks for the reply Mr. McGuire (or should/could i say Jeffrey?)
and even more for the explanation ...
i do get it now, your response in combination with the one above of
I_am_trying_to_understand did the trick.
i know you did not have to respond etc.and there for im glad that you did
take the time and made the effort, i really appreciate it !
personally i cant afford payed stuff (as so many people ? lol)
however i did have a look and a quick try on the Acquia, and for what it is worth
i must and can admit that i like/love it
i like/love drupal to ( even if sometimes it frustrates me or makes me want to pull out my hair . winks)
p.s. thanks for putting the disclaimer, although i think valid points are what they are valid no matter if or not some one works for or is part of etc. and yours are !
wishing you nothing but the best
have a great weekend
oops forgot to say
keep up the good work
and that goes for everyone drupal and Acquia etc.