How can commercial B2C and B2B industries integrate with the unique approach of an open Oniro ecosystem?
B2C and B2B Innovative approach with Open Mobile Hub and Oniro community with foundation-led, multi-industry adoption engagement with strategies here!
Commercial app developers could adopt a strategy similar to Epic Games' GitHub approach to balance proprietary interests with open-source collaboration to get their apps and games on Oniro App Store as an option outside commercial ecosystems within HarmonyOS Next and Oniro shared platforms of OpenHarmony family alongside, Android and iOS. Epic Games has successfully used GitHub to open-source certain components of its technology (e.g., Unreal Engine) while keeping other parts proprietary. This strategy allows them to engage with the developer community, foster innovation, and maintain control over their core business. Here's how commercial app developers could implement a similar strategy for integration with ecosystems like permissive licensed open source Oniro and Open Mobile Hub (OMH) framework:
1. Open-Source Non-Core Components
Commercial developers can open-source non-core components of their apps, such as:
UI Frameworks: Open-source React Native or other UI components that are not central to the app's proprietary functionality.
Integration Modules: Share code for integrating with OMH, Oniro, or other open-source frameworks.
Utilities and Libraries: Release utility libraries, tools, or plugins that can be reused by the community.
Example:
Epic Games open-sources parts of Unreal Engine (e.g., rendering modules, physics engines) while keeping game-specific assets and proprietary tools closed-source.
2. Dual-Licensing Model
Adopt a dual-licensing model where open-source components are available under a permissive license (e.g., MIT, Apache) for non-commercial use, while commercial use requires a proprietary license.
Example:
MongoDB uses the Server Side Public License (SSPL) for its open-source database, while offering a commercial license for enterprises.
3. Community Engagement
Leverage GitHub to engage with the developer community, encouraging contributions, bug fixes, and feature enhancements for open-sourced components.
Example:
Epic Games actively engages with the Unreal Engine community on GitHub, accepting pull requests, addressing issues, and providing documentation.
4. Hybrid Development Approach
Combine open-source and proprietary development to create a hybrid model:
Open-Source Core: Open-source the core framework or engine (e.g., game engine, UI framework).
Proprietary Extensions: Keep proprietary extensions, plugins, or integrations closed-source.
Community Contributions: Allow the community to contribute to the open-source core while maintaining control over proprietary components.
Example:
Blender (open-source 3D creation suite) allows community contributions to its core while supporting proprietary plugins and extensions.
5. GitHub as a Collaboration Platform
Use GitHub as a central platform for collaboration, offering:
Public Repositories: Host open-source components in public repositories.
Issue Tracking: Use GitHub Issues for bug tracking and feature requests.
Pull Requests: Accept community contributions through pull requests.
Documentation: Provide comprehensive documentation to help developers understand and use the open-sourced components.
Example:
Epic Games uses GitHub to host Unreal Engine repositories, providing detailed documentation and issue tracking for developers.
6. Monetization Strategies
Commercial developers can monetize their open-source efforts through:
Paid Support: Offer paid support, consulting, or customization services for open-source components (open recommendation).
Premium Features: Provide premium features or extensions under a proprietary license.
Donations and Sponsorships: Use platforms like GitHub Sponsors or Open Collective to receive financial support from the community (best recommended).
Example:
GitLab offers a free, open-source core product while monetizing through premium features and enterprise support.
7. Legal and Compliance Support
Ensure compliance with open-source licenses and protect proprietary IP by:
Clear Licensing: Use clear and permissive licenses for open-sourced components.
Contribution Agreements: Require contributors to sign agreements (e.g., Contributor License Agreements) to protect IP from Eclipse resources on Oniro project by upstreaming.
OpenChain Certification: Achieve OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230 certification to demonstrate compliance with open-source standards.
Example:
Both Eclipse Foundation and Linux Foundation (also, Linux Foundation Europe) provides legal support and certification for open-source projects, ensuring compliance and reducing risks.
8. Integration with Oniro and OMH
For integration with Oniro and Open Mobile Hub (OMH), commercial developers can:
Open-Source Integration Modules: Share code for integrating with OMH and Oniro.
Use f-oh Framework: Leverage the f-oh framework to ensure compatibility with OpenHarmony and Oniro platform ecosystem.
Adopt Alternative Billing: Use OMH's APIs for alternative billing and in-app purchases, bypassing traditional app store billing systems.
Example:
Expensify could open-source its OMH integration and React Native UI components while keeping its core expense management functionality proprietary for it’s B2B business.
9. Benefits of the Epic Games GitHub Strategy
Community Engagement: Build a strong developer community around open-sourced components.
Innovation: Accelerate innovation by leveraging community contributions.
Market Differentiation: Differentiate from competitors by embracing open-source principles.
Ecosystem Growth: Contribute to the growth of more open broader ecosystems like Oniro and OpenHarmony.
10. Challenges and Mitigations
IP Risks: Of course for B2B and B2C industry, open-sourcing components could expose proprietary IP. In order to mitigate this by using contribution agreements and clear licensing.
Sustainability: Maintaining open-source projects requires resources. Address this by offering monetisation support or premium features as a strategy.
Technical Complexity: Integrating open-source and proprietary components can be complex. Use tools like OMH and f-oh to simplify the process.
Conclusion
By adopting an Epic Games GitHub strategy, commercial app developers can open-source non-core components, engage with the developer community, and integrate with ecosystems like Oniro and Open Mobile Hub (OMH) for the third platform and ecosystem in the mobile market. This approach balances proprietary interests with open-source collaboration, fostering innovation and growth while maintaining control over core business assets. With the right tools, legal support, and community engagement, this strategy can create a win-win scenario for developers, users, and the open-source ecosystem.
Will this keep GNU FOSS principles?
Adopting an Epic Games GitHub strategy—where commercial developers open-source non-core components while keeping core functionality proprietary—can align with GNU FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) principles, but it depends on how the strategy is implemented appropritately by B2B and B2C industry. Here's a detailed analysis of how this approach can respect GNU FOSS principles and where potential challenges might arise:
1. GNU FOSS Principles
The GNU FOSS philosophy, as defined by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), emphasizes four essential freedoms:
Freedom to Use: The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
Freedom to Study: The freedom to study how the program works and modify it.
Freedom to Share: The freedom to redistribute copies.
Freedom to Improve: The freedom to distribute modified versions of the program.
For software to fully comply with GNU FOSS principles, it must guarantee all four freedoms to users and developers.
2. How the Epic Games GitHub Strategy Can Align with GNU FOSS
If implemented correctly, the strategy can align with GNU FOSS principles in the following ways:
a. Open-Sourcing Non-Core Components
Freedom to Use and Study: By open-sourcing non-core components (e.g., UI frameworks, integration modules), developers allow users and the community to use, study, and modify these components.
Freedom to Share and Improve: Open-sourced components can be freely shared and improved by the community, fostering collaboration and innovation.
b. Permissive Licensing
Using permissive licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache) for open-sourced components ensures that users and developers have the freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software without restrictions.
c. Community Engagement
Encouraging community contributions to open-sourced components aligns with the spirit of GNU FOSS, as it promotes collaboration and shared ownership.
3. Potential Challenges to GNU FOSS Principles
While the strategy can align with GNU FOSS principles, there are potential challenges:
a. Proprietary Core Functionality
If the core functionality of the app remains proprietary, users do not have the freedom to study, modify, or distribute the entire software. This partially violates GNU FOSS principles, as the four freedoms are not fully guaranteed for the complete application.
b. Hybrid Licensing Models
Dual-licensing models (e.g., open-source for non-commercial use, proprietary for commercial use) can create restrictions that conflict with GNU FOSS principles, particularly the freedom to use the software for any purpose.
c. Limited Transparency
Keeping core functionality proprietary limits transparency, which is a key aspect of GNU FOSS. Users cannot fully inspect or trust the software if parts of it remain closed-source.
4. Balancing Commercial Interests with GNU FOSS Principles
To align with GNU FOSS principles while maintaining commercial interests, developers in the Business to Business alongside the Business to Consumer industry can take the following steps in a parallel two-tier approach or gradual incremental approach:
a. Fully Open-Source Core Components
Open-source as much of the software as possible, including core functionality, to ensure compliance with GNU FOSS principles.
Use permissive licenses that guarantee all four freedoms.
b. Separate Proprietary Add-Ons
Keep proprietary features as optional add-ons or plugins, ensuring that the core software remains fully open-source and compliant with GNU FOSS principles.
c. Clear Licensing and Documentation
Provide clear licensing information and documentation for open-sourced components, ensuring users understand their rights and freedoms.
d. Community Governance
Establish transparent governance models for open-sourced components, allowing the community to participate in decision-making and development.
5. Example: How Expensify Could Align with GNU FOSS
If Expensify adopted this strategy for integration with Oniro and Open Mobile Hub (OMH), it could:
Open-Source OMH Integration: Share the code for integrating with OMH under a permissive license (e.g., MIT).
Open-Source React Native UI Components: Release UI components as open-source, allowing the community to use and improve them.
Keep Core Functionality Proprietary: Maintain proprietary control over the expense management logic and billing systems.
While this approach could contradict and would not fully comply with GNU FOSS principles (since the core functionality remains proprietary), it would still contribute to the open-source ecosystem and align partially with FOSS values.
6. Conclusion
Statistics shows that over 90% of global organizations utilize open source in some form, indicating a widespread trend across industries; this is largely due to the cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and community support that open source provides.
Key points about companies adopting open source:
High adoption rate:
Studies consistently report that a significant majority of companies, including most Fortune 500 firms, use open source software in their operations.
Benefits of open source:
Companies are drawn to open source due to its accessibility, ability to customize code, large developer community, and often lower costs compared to proprietary software.
Examples of open source usage:
Popular open source projects like Linux, Apache web server, and Kubernetes are widely used by companies across different sectors.
Contributing to open source:
Many companies not only use open source software but also actively contribute to its development by creating new projects or providing code updates.
The Epic Games GitHub strategy can align with GNU FOSS principles if developers open-source significant portions of their software and ensure that the open-sourced components fully respect the four freedoms. However, keeping core functionality proprietary limits full compliance with GNU FOSS principles. To strike a balance, developers should:
Open-source as much of the software as possible.
Use permissive licenses for open-sourced components.
Engage with the community to foster collaboration and transparency.
By doing so, commercial developers can contribute to the open-source ecosystem while maintaining their business interests, even if the result is not a fully GNU FOSS-compliant solution.