---
title: "Open Source Everything"
id: "3101"
type: "post"
slug: "open-source-everything"
published_at: "2012-06-09T13:28:41+00:00"
modified_at: "2014-04-12T20:27:42+00:00"
url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/open-source-everything/"
markdown_url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/open-source-everything.md"
excerpt: "One notion of open source software that often surprises people not familiar with it or its culture, particularly in business settings, is to make the source code completely available for free. Open sourcing everything may not be a familiar conversation......"
taxonomy_category:
  - "Software & Technology"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "Open Source"
---

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# [Open Source Everything](https://johnpoelstra.com/open-source-everything/)

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/5755231642/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/5755231642/)

One notion of open source software that often surprises people not familiar with it or its culture, particularly in business settings, is to make the source code completely available for free.

[Open sourcing everything](http://danielbachhuber.com/2012/06/03/how-you-might-open-source-almost-everything/)
 may not be a familiar conversation at your company, but it is a good conversation to have. It’s always a fascinating conversation to watch. It’s usually an interesting mix of people and their personalities combined with varying degrees, usually at the extremes, of idealism versus pragmatism.

Here are some of the different arguments I’ve heard. I don’t believe any of these are the “one true way” and as is often the case, the reasons for or against may not be clear cut.

- We are obligated by our core values to open source everything
- We must hold something back that we can charge for or we won’t able to stay in business
- Our business isn’t the code, it’s the services we provide
- The “Community” expects us to open source everything and if we don’t someone will complain and that will make us look bad
- We will open source the code that people can really use
- We will open source the code that people can contribute to and help make better

What kind of criteria do you use to determine whether or not to open source code? Have you ever regretted open sourcing everything?

[Photo by nengard](http://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/5755231642/)

#### John Poelstra

John Poelstra coaches directors in finance and software. Trained through the Co-Active Training Institute, he has coached for more than 10 years, with over 520 clients and 3,150 sessions, including people at well-known Fortune 100 companies. In over 30 years of professional experience, he spent 25 in technology and finance: software testing, project management and team leadership at Red Hat and Dell/EMC, and finance as a bank auditor at Wells Fargo and a CPA at Grant Thornton. He hosts The John Poelstra Show podcast and is based in Portland, Oregon.

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June 9, 2012

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