Open Source As A SaaS Endgame Debate

I have been advocating my theory on Open Source as a SaaS endgame for sometime now. My recent post on the topic quoting the example of Storytlr has kcik started a round of debate in the web. Matthew Aslett of 451 Group pointed out that releasing the SaaS application as Open Source doesn’t guarantee its success. Serdar Yegulalp of Information Week agrees with Matthew’s assertion and I also agree that any open source project (for that matter, any software) needs a vibrant vendor or developer community to succeed. In response to Matthew’s post, I clarified where I am coming from. My argument is that Open Source licensing of a SaaS application going down will ensure the business continuity of the users of the application. The author and Enterprise Irregular, Nenshad Bardoliwalla, pointed out to the SaaS Bill of Rights which states that when a SaaS provider goes out of business, their customers would be to receive a virtual machine image with the software configured as they have in the multitenant instance and with their data. This is definitely a good idea but, as I pointed out to Nenshad, the customer will be left in the lurch if something goes wrong with the software installed using VM. With an open source solution, the user has the option to hire a developer to fix any issues that arises later on.

I am happy that this idea got tossed around the web. In fact, I really want more people dissecting this idea because it will help me better understand the viability of this approach and fine tune it further. I do believe that this theory can help users trust SaaS more and has the potential to empower the users instead of dragging the carpet from underneath their feet. Feel free to jumpin and offer your thoughts.