Comments on: Freemium cloud apps prospering in the downturn – no kidding http://eu.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/fremium-cloud-apps-prospering-in-the-downturn-no-kidding/ Tracking European web and mobile start-ups Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:21:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Richard http://eu.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/fremium-cloud-apps-prospering-in-the-downturn-no-kidding/comment-page-1/#comment-175455 Richard Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:34:44 +0000 http://uk.techcrunch.com/?p=2082#comment-175455 Software licencing should be thought of carefully here, especially any software sold as premium services based on the GPL licence. "Fremium" is great for premium support related services but if the business model is based on GPL software with premium paid for access to additional software modules / features built on top of the GPL core then the source code has got to be made available upon request. Any business with this premium developed software can legally offer it for free download under the GPL licence which could seriously undermine a small business that has put significant resources into developing these premium software services. However, if the related support services are good then there should be nothing to worry about! Is TactileCRM based on GPL'd EGS? - http://www.enterprisegroupwaresystem.org/about/ and if so is the source code for TactileCRM available for business users to host in Amazon's (or other) clouds? Software licencing should be thought of carefully here, especially any software sold as premium services based on the GPL licence.

“Fremium” is great for premium support related services but if the business model is based on GPL software with premium paid for access to additional software modules / features built on top of the GPL core then the source code has got to be made available upon request. Any business with this premium developed software can legally offer it for free download under the GPL licence which could seriously undermine a small business that has put significant resources into developing these premium software services. However, if the related support services are good then there should be nothing to worry about!

Is TactileCRM based on GPL’d EGS? – http://www.enterprisegroupwaresystem.org/about/ and if so is the source code for TactileCRM available for business users to host in Amazon’s (or other) clouds?

]]> By: hive http://eu.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/fremium-cloud-apps-prospering-in-the-downturn-no-kidding/comment-page-1/#comment-175436 hive Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:22:24 +0000 http://uk.techcrunch.com/?p=2082#comment-175436 good! good!

]]> By: Jof Arnold http://eu.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/fremium-cloud-apps-prospering-in-the-downturn-no-kidding/comment-page-1/#comment-175328 Jof Arnold Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:58:23 +0000 http://uk.techcrunch.com/?p=2082#comment-175328 You forgot an obvious example, Mike; Huddle are Freemium and they are doing fairly well. But they have a sales team, and therein lies an important key: converting those >99% Freeloaders into paying customers requires somewhat more than dumb luck and recognition of the 1:99 rule of Freeconomics. You forgot an obvious example, Mike; Huddle are Freemium and they are doing fairly well. But they have a sales team, and therein lies an important key: converting those >99% Freeloaders into paying customers requires somewhat more than dumb luck and recognition of the 1:99 rule of Freeconomics.

]]> By: Tina Thompson http://eu.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/fremium-cloud-apps-prospering-in-the-downturn-no-kidding/comment-page-1/#comment-175250 Tina Thompson Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:37:55 +0000 http://uk.techcrunch.com/?p=2082#comment-175250 Love your site, I will check back for more info like this. Love your site, I will check back for more info like this.

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