"Do you think it's feasible to open source?" asked Li Kejia.

She originally planned to introduce to Tang Zifeng what open source is, but now listening to Tang Zifeng's meaning, the other party should be no stranger to this concept, and she can save some tongues. Since Tang Zifeng originally knew the open-source model, today's discussion is easier.

Tang Zifeng recalled the development of open source software in later generations in his heart, and found that he only knew this concept, but did not understand the details. After all, he hadn't done much practice in his previous life, and he couldn't get in touch with such high-end things. After thinking for a while, he asked Li Kejia:

"Senior sister, open source means that you can no longer earn income through software sales, so can your company still sustain itself?"

"There will be some difficulties, but it will not be a problem to sustain it. Li Kejia said, "In fact, we now come from Huaxia CAD sales, accounting for less than 20% of the company's revenue, and our main income still comes from customized services." ”

The so-called customized service is a software development service specially provided for a certain enterprise or a research institution. Whether it is Huaxia CAD or Tuao CAD, it is a universal design software that is suitable for different types of design units. Once a software is universal, the professionalism will suffer.

For example, Linji Group is a machine tool enterprise, and the daily design is either a machine tool or some accessories on the machine tool, which has some common points. However, it is impossible for a general-purpose CAD software to contain such a common denominator, because these attributes are completely redundant for companies that design pressure vessels or transportation vehicles, and these companies will not pay for such redundant attributes.

The customized service of software companies is to develop the functions required by specific enterprises. For example, machine tool companies need to realize the function of machine tool simulation in the software, and they do not hesitate to pay 100 times the cost of general software. The company's main profit point at present is to develop special functions for various enterprises, and the revenue is far more than the sales of software itself.

"If our open source strategy can be effective, Huaxia CAD's market share will rebound, and our custom service business will also increase, and it is entirely possible to make up for the losses caused by open source. Li Kejia continued.

Universal CAD software that provides customers with a basic platform. The customized services provided by New Jingwei are also based on this platform. The larger the market share of Huaxia CAD, the more companies will find customized services from the new Jingwei company, and the two are related.

On the other hand, if customers are accustomed to using Too CAD, they will often ask Too to help with customized services, and New Jingwei will not be able to get these services.

In the software market, there are many companies that offer customers cheap or even free primary software versions that can meet the daily needs of customers and win the favor of customers. After the customer has become dependent on this kind of software, the software company will come to the door to promote its own customized services, so that the customer will pay several times or dozens of times the cost to buy these additional services, and the customer is often willing to accept it.

In the early years, Western software vendors allowed piracy, and their purpose was also to cultivate users' habits. As for the money lost due to piracy, the software vendor can earn back all the money in the subsequent customization services.

That's a good idea. Tang Zifeng muttered, "However, are you sure that you can attract more customers through open source? After all, CAD is not a daily office software, like our Linji Group, it is impossible to adopt your Huaxia CAD just because it is greedy for free."

"As you said earlier, now all units are not bad for money, and the money to buy a CAD software can still be paid. Those units that can't even afford to buy software will probably not be able to ask you to do customized services in the future, right?"

"That's the problem. Li Kejia said bitterly, "Some of our executives have also raised this concern, worrying that they will eventually be beaten up." ”

Tang Zifeng said: "As far as I can see, open source software and free software are not the same thing. In addition to being free, open source software also has a very important point, which is to allow everyone to modify and supplement the software to help improve the software. In the business of open source software, this is even more important than free, have you ever considered this issue? ”

Li Kejia said: "When we were in a meeting, Zhao Yuntao raised this point. He said that our current development capabilities are not as good as those of Tuao, but if we can use open source methods to attract developers from all over the world to help Huaxia CAD optimize, it is equivalent to having dozens or even hundreds of times the development capabilities of Tuao, and it is very likely that Huaxia CAD will be reborn in a short period of time and surpass Tuao in an all-round way. ”

"The premise is that developers from all over the world are willing to help you optimize your software. Tang Zifeng said.

Li Kejia smiled bitterly: "That's right, I really can't think of why they would be willing to help us with optimization." ”

"It can't be said that there are still individual good deeds. Tang Zifeng said. His words were not so much comfort as sarcasm, and when Li Kejia heard this, he naturally gave him a fierce look.

The mode of operation of open source software is equivalent to the Internet sharing model, which was particularly popular in later generations. In this world, there are many idlers who are willing to share their knowledge with others and hope that others will be able to see the products they create. They don't care if they get paid for it.

For example, on the Internet, someone will spend days and nights writing a post and getting tens of thousands of likes on the Internet, which will make them happy. The encyclopedias, wikis and other content on the Internet are also maintained by netizens on an obligation without receiving any remuneration.

The same is true for open source software, where many people are willing to write application modules just to share their work with their peers, or even just to show off their talents.

However, although there are many idlers on the Internet, they are not willing to mix in everything. The sharing model is characterized by the fact that the strong are always strong, and the weak are always weak. If your site is popular, the show-off people will want to perform because they will get more applause for performing here. If your website only has three or two kittens, who wants to waste expressions on you?

Huaxia CAD has some fame in the domestic design software market, but it is a small transparency in the international market. However, the idlers on the Internet are mainly distributed abroad, and domestic designers and programmers are still running around for five buckets of rice, how can they have the leisure to play the sharing economy?

Without the participation of enough programmers, the open source model of Huaxia CAD becomes a front and cannot really reap the benefits of open source. Since the new Jingwei company has made Huaxia CAD into open source software, its own R&D investment must be reduced, and there is no reason to throw money into it in vain.

On the one hand, no one is willing to help with the development, and on the other hand, the original development efforts are also going to decline, can this software still have a future?

"I wonder if I asked Nana to help hype it up. Li Kejia said.

Tang Zifeng shook his head and said, "I'm afraid this is difficult. We are different from the situation abroad, we have just solved the problem of food and clothing, making money is the first priority for everyone, unlike some foreign technical personnel with high incomes, who have been able to pursue their feelings.

"To attract programmers to develop for Huaxia CAD, there has to be some incentives. Otherwise, relying only on a small number of volunteers, I am afraid that I will not be able to make a name for myself. ”

"If you want to be motivated, you have to give money. If the money is given less, everyone may not be motivated. If we want to increase the quota, we might as well hire a group of programmers to do the development ourselves, at least it can meet our requirements. Li Kejia said.

"Alas, what do you say is wrong with this society, why is it that everyone is full of money, and there are few people with feelings?" Tang Zifeng sighed with boundless emotion.

Li Kejia said with a smile: "Feelings are such a thing, you have to eat enough to have it." Like you, Mr. Tang, as the general manager of a large state-owned enterprise, he still has a lot of industries under his name, and there are dozens of houses in the capital alone, so he can have feelings. The programmers in our company are all struggling to save money to pay the mortgage, and they don't have any spare time to play with their feelings. ”

Tang Zifeng said: "That's because you, a capitalist, are exploiting too much. If you give them a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan, work 6 hours a day, and don't have to work overtime on weekends, people will naturally have feelings. ”

"But then my company went bankrupt. Li Kejia said.

To put it mildly, the salary given to programmers by New Jingwei Company is really not low, but the working hours of programmers are long enough, which is equivalent to one person doing the work of two people, and at the same time taking the salary equivalent to two people. No way, this is the characteristic of developing countries, can a country with a per capita GDP of less than 2,000 US dollars compare with a country with tens of thousands of people per capita?

These programmers work more than ten hours a day and work overtime on weekends, so how can they have the energy to develop open source software?

"By the way, Wang Zijie has been talking about feelings every day lately, why don't you want to ask him?" Tang Zifeng asked.

Li Kejia said: "I haven't bothered to ask him yet. Wang Zijie stays in the ivory tower and does not eat the fireworks of the world, I am afraid it will be in vain to ask him about this kind of thing. I think you are messing around in the mall every day, and you should have some ideas, but you can't imagine that you are also entrusted to a non-person. ”

Tang Zifeng defended: "The main thing is that your matter is too special, and the situation in your industry is also special, which is different from our machine tool industry." I think that if I talk to Professor Wang, maybe I will gain something, even if he can't give any good ideas, he can come up with some bad ideas, right? ”

Li Kejia burst out laughing: "Zifeng, Zijie is a person who can see the country's leaders twice in three days, you call him a rock of his mountain, and you are not afraid that he will be angry?" However, what you said makes sense, call Wang Zijie over and ask, maybe he, as an outsider, can see more thoroughly." ”