by Joshua Branson — September 28, 2021
4 main ways that I am interested in helping God's children (making money)
Creating a business around the GNU/Hurd or similar microkernel OS
This could be as simple as hosting websites via the GNU/Hurd or offering software as a service, or selling machines with the Hurd installed. Since the Hurd doesn't support usb yet, that would mean I would have to sell laptops.
Creating a business around libre software as a service
This includes making an alternative to youtube with peertube or media goblin, paid netflix alternative with peertube or media goblin, paid pandora alternative with libre.fm or funkwhale, a competitor to purism's https://librem.one/ online applications, a paid minecraft server, or other game servers. I also believe that every opensource website should offer such services. For example, if guix system would like to generate income to pay developers, then they should provide services for Wordpress, XMPP, etc.
Selling a GNU/Linux smartphones
PinePhone / Purism do this, but one could make a rugged smartphone from olimex open hardware and a usb wifi chip. The difficulty is in making the monstrosity.
Selling a GNU/Linux or GNU/Hurd computers
Every distribution should have a "Shop" section. People browsing a GNU/Linux distribution should know where they can purchase a computer that will work well with that distribution.
Now I want to do a SWOT analysis on all of these to pick which one I should pursue.
SWOT stands for:
S trengths W eaknesses O pportunities T hreats
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|
| | Strengths | Weaknesses | Opportunities | Threats |
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|
| GNU/Hurd | Flexible | low memory | lots of people | Linux is currently better. |
| | Libre licensed. | poor memory usage | like the Hurd. | A Lot better. |
| | | Popular programming languages | Cool OS design. | |
| | | have limited support on the | Work is ongoing to use | |
| | | Hurd. Python and Perl have | NetBSD device drivers. | |
| | | test issues still. No Rust | | |
| | | support. | | |
| | | Every time I have used it, | | |
| | | I have had file system | | |
| | | corruption. | | |
| | | No limits are imposed on | | |
| | | processes. Still 32 bit. | | |
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|
| LibreSaSS | easy to operate | have to set up the server | people may help me | Google/AWS can offer said |
| | | this includes packaging | by contributing code | service cheaper than I can |
| | | software and services for | | via powerful servers. |
| | | guix/guix system. | | |
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|
| smartphone | built to last | is HUGE. Not elegant looking | It help open hardware | pinephone and librem 5 |
| | | I have to build the phone. | People get a cheap | Pinephone is only $200. |
| | | Will people buy it? | phone that they can | |
| | | | play with. | |
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|
| computers | cheap and somewhat | Other machines are newer and | Help mother earth | I'm not aware of any. |
| | performent. | are almost as powerful. | | |
| | If running Linux, | Limited new graphics cards | | |
| | then mesa will still | People prefer laptops. | | |
| | work. New Intel | I have to build the website | | |
| | graphics driver | Is there a market for this? | | |
| | supports the Optiplex | Will people buy it? | | |
| | 7020. | | | |
|------------+-----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------------|Looking at the SWOT analysis, I think it's fairly clean that the Hurd is NOT yet the attractive business venture that I would like it to be.
Let me know what you all think!