 Okay. Hello again. Thank you for being here. Now we have Robert Partica and this is the vice president of the Polish Linux user group and also owner of the Bobson company and in his talk, The Power to Change, he will ask a question and hopefully answer the question if there is a market for open source. Thank you for being here. Hi everyone. Thank you that you joined me here for this short talk. I will try not to get into the light, at least until I start to make funny faces on the shadow. So the talk is about what I call The Power to Change and I want to convince you that it's possible, it's in your power to shape the world and shape the future because as we all know, the best way to predict future is to create the future by yourself. And of course the best way is to do this according to your own ideas and your own beliefs. Before I start the talk about this, I want to introduce a little myself because you may wonder what this redhead guy, which is a little old, come here, talk to young people and behave like he knows something. As everybody knows, young people know that the old people don't know anything at all about the world. So I begin in the times with the computers, in the primary school, it was 4th grade of the primary school and it was time, who knows what the Amstrad is, or ZX Spectrum. Hi, we are from the same age. It was age of the dinosaurs in the computers. Then there was a big stone coming from the heaven and the era of the modern computer become. In those days, I start to love computers. I start to learn programming. When I get to the university, I found my company, which is called as my stage name, Bobson, which was my nickname for a long time on the demo scene, where I was making open source, not knowing that I'm making open source because everybody knows that the roots of the open source are in the demo scene where everybody shared the source without any license at all. What's the license? So I invented the company, which was invented. I found the company. It will be nice to invent the company. But no, it wasn't that. I found the company, Bobson, and we started to create software and we even started to create software and send software exactly in the open source way, not knowing that it's open source. It was about a year later when I started to get into the Linux and find out, okay, we're doing this exactly as the license said, so why not doing this more? Nowadays, we change the direction of the company. We are no longer the company about the software itself. We become a research company, which are more into the hardware also, but we're based on the open hardware. And we found a funding solution for the people if they have ID, but they don't know how to do this, what they need in the software, what they need in the hardware. We're creating the documentation for them, the prototypes, and preparing the whole documentation for the production. And they get it also, based on the approach from the open source and freedom it gets. So is there market for open source? The shortest answer I can give you as an example from my 70 years of and what's happening now is I landed yesterday in Poland coming back from Sweden from the client. I slept for hours, come here to make a lecture, and I was wanting to stay for a whole three days, but I cannot because the projects which are open source in my company needs my attention, I need to go back. So the short answer is definitely yes, there is a market, but it's not unicorn, it's not something which is only happening good for you because it's open source, but about that a little later. So what's the market? Because everybody tells, okay, there is a market for open source, what's the numbers? That's the information you can get from the Wikipedia. I use those ones because once on the conference about the open source in the Microsoft, we have a little argument because they were having a little different data, and I ask about the source, and it appears because some of the data are from the Gartner that their source was also Gartner. So I ask, okay, if this is Gartner, can I see this report? No, you can't because we pay for it and the agreement don't allow us to show this data. Nice way to get data for presentation from the report, which I cannot show to you because it's top secret report, but I present you the one number, one figure which is from this report. That's why you decide to use only the data which you can check by yourself. Linux share nowadays for this month is about 2.11 to 2.33 of desktops based on the calculation from the usage in the Internet. And those two figures are different because there are two different organization which was measured this. Embedded system, Android Ubuntu and so on, it's about 30%, and those data are already a little aged because this company didn't provide new data for it, so it can be even more now. You can find it on the Wikipedia page. The deeper in the wood, the better. Web servers, 36% or almost 57%. Mind frame, it should be now about 50% because it's prediction from the 2008. And supercomputers, we even don't need to talk about supercomputers. They even sometimes don't know what Windows is. When we look at the technologies of other type of the processors, so not the processors about the PC, so not the internal AMD, but other architecture like M56 or processors which are REM, it's also like almost nobody use the Windows because what for? If you go to the science facilities like Polish facility about the space agency, it's also if you are not a user of Linux, how you want to work with us, that's a question you can get. If you are a student and you don't know Linux at all, you have problem to become an astronomist. And also how much Linux kernel will cost, that's also data from the Wikipedia. With the model of the CACOMO, they estimate that it will be 612 million. European Union make its own estimation. I think it's twice the price from the USA. Something like that if we count also the difference in the currency comparison. So it's quite a lot of money. I think there are maybe two companies in the world now which can afford to spend such kind of money for the developed kernel, maybe three. If we don't count companies which don't do IT at all. I think everybody can name those companies. One have the amount of money in the bank which can cover whole USA debt. So they probably can do this. But I don't think other IT companies can afford such amount of money. So that's the potential which is in the open source world. We don't talk any longer about a bunch of guys which are hippies and they want to develop software but normally they sell carrots because they need to make money for living. They making software because they want to and they want to make money on it. As I told in the abstract which you can read probably on the web page of the QTcon, I told that I will tell you a little about rules to follow and rules to break. Rules to follow is a little more because unfortunately we live in the society or fortunately we live in the society which comes with the rules. So first one, I was really thinking which one should be first and I tell that it's love, it's the first rule which you should follow. And there are two things. First thing, do what you love. If you're doing what you love, you're never working and you really like this what you're doing. But secondly, you have families probably, you have girlfriends, never allow that you're working. It's my 17 years experience as an owner of the company. Never allow work. Cover your life. Have family, have friends, go sometime out. It will make your work better. You will like to come back to work because I want to go out from these people. I want to do something. Holidays all the time are not good. So that's the first and probably primary rule which you follow. But then it's if you're really into being open, don't act only like being open but doing something else. It's quite often that the developers say, okay, I like open source, I want to do open source, but I want to make money so I need to do closed source. If you really believe that the open source is something good. And from my experience, I can tell you that it's also a good business model. It will not solve all problems for you because in every business model, you need to find the client, you need to find something he will want to buy. But follow the ideas you believe to. Because on the other hand, it's something like I'm a Christian but I'm not going to church because why for? Really are you Christian and you're not going to church? So are you really Christian or church or in other places where parts of the Christians go? So follow your ideas and think out of the box because the problem of modern companies quite often is that they are so into how we are ready to arrange something. They are like dinosaurs or scapals from the stone. It's like we have our way of work. It's slow, it's unaffective. It's in fact not solving the problems but we were doing this that way and we are going to do this that way also for another 100 years until we die and they probably die quite soon. So try to think about the finding solution. It's like you need to try to think because usually people think that way that oh I have a problem or my country have a problem, my city have a problem, my friend have a problem, girlfriend have a problem, child, dog, cat and whatever else have a problem. Don't think about this as a problem. For fierce is a challenge. For second every problem society especially have is a potential for its opportunity for you. If you solve it you probably can make a money on it because everybody should remember that in the rules of open source, in the four freedoms there is nothing about not getting money for it. It's even exactly told by the stalemate. It's not free beer. It's free as a freedom as a freedom of speech. And it's even better if you do money on it because if you do money on the open source you prove that it's good concept for business model. And the more companies start to do this the more people will believe in that because the problem of the small companies for instance is that they just don't believe in that. They don't especially if they are not IT they cannot judge the quality of the product. So how they judge the quality of the product first the size of the supplier. Secondly the price. Usually people if don't know how was the quality the highest price the better. I want the computer which one the best one which one is the best one. I think this with the highest price is the best one. That's how you sell computer as a hardware to the person which has no idea about the quality of the hardware but won't have something best. If you give him something which is really best but it is cheaper than the highest price in the shop he will feel that he's not treated well by you. It's the way the people think. We cannot do anything about that. The usually best way to change the shape the way your boss act is to change the boss because you have the power to change the boss for instance. Next thing law. We live in the countries the countries has law you need to follow this law. We have the 78 I think as I could remember open source licenses which can be used which are approved as open source licenses but you need to know how to apply them to the law which is in your country because quite often the way of applying so for instance if it's need to be signed by two sides or not is depending of the law in your country. Get good lawyer spend some money for the for the lawyer because he will help you in a many situation because for instance the lawyers of your contractor may want to shape the way of how you signed the license how it will be written that at the end it will be not open source license. I have now in fact such exchanging of the changes in the agreement because the contractor on the other side is changing all the time the whole agreement that in fact the open license stop becoming open license. Next thing is you need to pay taxes but you don't need to pay the biggest possible taxes so also get the lawyer he will tell you what to do and you need to that probably in maybe few years they will solve this problem because it's opportunity to make a good money maybe they will do this open source also. Rules to break I choose only two because we don't have one hour for for talk and usually if I choose more than we talking for about one and a half hours I choose only two. First one the IPR intellectual property right what the hell is that for first how you can make a property or something which even don't exist because its property can be to this chair if I have this chair nobody else have this chair even if there is a lot more chairs here but what's the who tell me what's the most overused word by the people which are into IPR piracy yes piracy as I know in the law piracy it's an act of encounter other ship in the in the sea or in the it can be also applied to the to the fly jet but mainly it's about the ship so I'm into fighting with the piracy we can send all our warfare which which is in on the sea to fight the peer pirates in the Africa no problem for that but don't don't even start to talk with people which use this word in the way of intellectual property rights in field rent because it's not this word has the meaning in the law in the international law and there is only one meaning for this word in the international law you can find it also in the vikipedia what's the what's the real mean on the piracy so but you make a software and okay it's your software so what to do with that I don't stop making the problem from this that somebody gets your software if you make it open source it's okay somebody has my software it's even good because it's start to become popular the more the better you in fact break the break the mind problem which the close source companies have they spent a lot of money for fighting people which copy their software and those people sometimes copy this because they just don't have money to do to do anything find the other way to make money on this what you're doing and second it's the old corporate approach to client or corporate old corporate approach to client is of course they behave like they want to kiss your ass when you are when you want to buy something and they totally forget about you when when you already done this and secondly when you read agreement or license for instance from microsoft it's like you should pray to us we thanks that we allow you to install this on only one computer and use this only by by you because if you give this software to your friend on your computer only to use then you break the law quite often I only win with the competitors because I threat people I my approach to the client is exactly what the rules of open source say it's your partner it's not your enemy which you quite often can read that the famous famous sentence before you buy the dvd with the movie as they called legally and first thing which you see you will not download the movies I didn't download this I just buy it why you show it to me so don't don't approach that way to the client approach as a he's your partner talk to him like a partner and then it they usually even don't use their rights which becomes from the open source license and they probably will come to you for the changes because you made this software or you made this software working for them because quite often open source software it's like for everything so it's for maybe not for nothing but it's not really doing what the client wants to so you what you're selling is your work what is work it's energy in time and this is what you should be paid off if you don't working for somebody why you should get a money so how to earn money because I'm talking that it's possible to earn money as I told we for instance searching solutions for the client so we use open source components we use open hardware but client which is not it corporation or they are totally not into it or they even don't want to be it they want the solution if it's open source it's even better for them so they will give you another point because you give them more right more possibilities to to use the the solution than the others with the close a close hardware and close source but you selling them knowledge so the in short the because we have only I think few minutes left four minutes okay in short it's you need to find the you don't selling the software you you're selling knowledge you're selling approach to the client sometimes client wants something in the box so you just putting the copy of Ubuntu with the t-shirt into the box and you're selling this and you're earning money you of course don't selling license for the Ubuntu you're selling the plastic of the CD and the fiber of the of the t-shirt but you're selling this and people like to have box the software is the best selling air in the box you you're buying the game and you have such box with the air inside because there is only paper with the code for the download so if you want to sell air it's just make software boxes and put it in your shop you can find you can for instance use the donations for create software which is probably needed on the market but one one company will not not pay for it but several will probably do if you go to them and tell okay we starting to have such project we need such grant from you this is what you will get from this find client which needs something which is not on the market and nobody will from the big companies will do this for them because sometimes big companies even okay we will do this for you five five million grants why because it's we don't want to write it but we will never tell you that we will not not going to do this for you we will just make a price such high that you will never pay for that so there are there are places in the software designing and software creation where the where you can apply your rules and your ideas and make money on it because as I told open source is for first not about giving to everybody it's about giving to your client in the business model you may do this that you give this for everybody but it's your choice so you need to find the way if it's good for you also to give it to everybody if you have another approach like software as a service with your instant support which will get you money from it and then it's even better give this to everybody because everybody if it's good software or if it's good hardware everybody will attach new code to this so you gaining from the from the giving this to everybody else but you need to always think about it but the the the thing is that you can make a money on it you can charge for it you can tell you need to pay for my work and secondly you you are only giving this to your client if this client will decide okay i'm going with this public because it's open source and i can do this according to the law it it's his choice quite often he is not going to do this because the solution which is exactly for him working only in his environment in a way he has a company organized and everybody else do this differently so nobody will even want this software. Samsung was complaining once on our conference in Poland that they published the code for the drivers for the TV screens and there is a very small amount of people which even download this it may happen making something open source don't mean that you become a famous because if it's software about the about the screens what to do i was about to tell you last about about not least but if somebody wants to know about the approach of the in company which is needed to have then we can do this offstage or in the question and of course if you want to contact with me don't hesitate just write email ask questions tell that i told stupid things also if you want to i will not send something back in the pocket to your house because of that so it's feel free if you go to the web page don't be surprised there is only a logo and the click for the contact because we're changing web page and because of amount of open source project we have now i didn't don't define our check yet for the what's the copywriter is done so that's all from me hope you feel that you have power to change because you do and if there are any questions then please now yeah thank you very much robot let's do a five minutes question answers if there any any questions okay just a moment thank you first pitch once again and i would like to know you you told that you do a lot of uh let's say consulting in order to help your clients to empower the infrastructure workflow whatever so yeah so can you share some insights on what part of your revenue comes from consulting compared to what comes from software development itself just an estimate you mean the amount of money comes from now a day it's in fact half and half so it's half from the software development which is in fact not only software development because we always make a consulting for the architecture and for the design so it's not only write the code according to the specification even if you know that it will never work so because that's what quite often happened uh through in the on the market but we always consult the the solution with the client and second part of the income is from the research in the mostly hardware projects and okay thank you do you believe do you believe consulting will stay around for quite a while yeah i in fact when we decide the answer maybe maybe this will be not answer for your question but then just tell me but when we when we decide that okay we we want to do something new so we i was having friends which was which was great electronic guys and i was always liking to also play with the electronic when i was young so we decided okay we are going to be something right like a research facility also and the next day i pronounced this to my business partners that we are going to do this we was having the first client for it so i think it will stay because we are in fact we have as i told you 50 percent of the income is from this and i don't do any active selling work from now so i think it can even overcome the software designing okay especially that you have a little more things possible to do when you are integrator consultant and so on then only software designer you always need to design some software in it because of course hardware now don't work without the software but okay thanks thanks for being clear any more questions in the audience oh over there does your company sell software to other companies for example or does it mostly produce software is which is relevant for companies or is it also software for like end users people mostly we do the software for the web applications nowadays and some software for the mobiles in most cases is that we are subcontractor or that there is a software company which wants to have something or there is a company which creating a bigger solution and they need software which they cannot produce because they are not company which making software sometimes but it's a rather minority we do software for the companies which are totally not from the from the designing something for the others they just want something for themselves but we always provide this in the there is for first we always have striped rule in the agreement that the open source components are open source and are provided as open source and secondly we give sla for for our software but it's additionally to the normal license of the software which is one of the open source usually it's even not gpl but rather the mit or or similar we have 78 open source licenses to use which are open source so there is you can choose a lot thank you any more questions else i would say thank you very much again thank you also to the ones it was nice to be here