By removing the power of monopoly from the
commerical software question, the GPL makes it possible
for the smartest vendors to compete on the basis of
service and consulting, the two most profit-rich
corners of the software marketplace.
In a 1999 essay, Tiemann recalls the impact of
Stallman's Manifesto. "It read like a socialist
polemic, but I saw something different. I saw a
business plan in disguise."7. See Michael Tiemann, "Future of Cygnus Solutions:
An
Entrepreneur's Account," Open Sources (O'Reilly &
Associates, Inc., 1999): 139.
Teaming up with John Gilmore, another GNU Project fan,
Tiemann launched a software consulting service
dedicated to customizing GNU programs. Dubbed Cygnus
Support, the company signed its first development
contract in February, 1990. By the end of the year, the
company had $725,000 worth of support and development contracts.
GNU Emacs, GDB, and GCC were the "big three" of
developer-oriented tools, but they weren't the only
ones developed by Stallman during the GNU Project's
first half decade.
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