Description

Open Source consulting is as varied as the people who make their living at it; this paper only includes my own experiences, thoughts and advice on training for and entering this field. It is intended for practicing consultants curious about open source, and those interested in consulting as an occupation. Both wonder if this "Linux thing" is worth their while. The short answer is "yes".

Why should a mainstream, proprietary systems consultant make the shift into open source? What might draw a young entrepreneur into a business based on free software? We all know the the software is free but support is extra, but is this the whole of the business model? I hope to show that this a very good model, not just because of the free beer or the philosophical draw of free speech, but because of a surprise bonus that gives the free software consultant more to offer than their license-bound counterparts.