Preface
In fact, a long time ago, I wanted to write an article to talk about my previous open source journey. I am not a big expert, just an ordinary owner of tens of millions of projects on github, but I love open source, love sharing, and love programming. Because of this, I plan to use TeamLinker to open source, and talk to you about the past in my open source career from the perspective of an ordinary open source practitioner, which can be a reference and inspiration for myself and others.
I am not a computer science major, but I have followed my love for programming since childhood and embarked on the path of software development through self-study. There have been ups and downs and rainbows along the way. I have been questioned, but I have also received more encouragement and support, which is also true. Because of this, I can particularly feel how difficult the so-called self-learning and improvement is, so when I came into contact with open source, I naturally felt an indescribable sense of intimacy, looking at those neat source codes. , just like a teacher, explaining its structure and functions to us step by step. As long as you are willing to explore, you can find endless fun in it.
From open source to entrepreneurship
I still remember that in 2016, I was working as a technical director in a software company. One of the troublesome problems I encountered was that the front-end and back-end always argued about the synchronization of interface documents. I thought at that time how to have If a product can manage and automatically synchronize interface documents, so that both the front and back ends have a unique reference, this problem can be greatly alleviated. After searching online, I did not find a satisfactory product, so I decided to be self-reliant. , used his spare time to complete the development of this interface document management software, named: DOClever (old fans should still remember that the original name of this product was SBDoc~).
In fact, I didn't think too much about it at the beginning. I just put it on github tentatively and tried it with some of my friends, but it was unexpectedly well received. Seeing everyone's positive feedback and the increasing number of stars on github, I gained an unparalleled sense of satisfaction for the first time in my career as a programmer. I really feel that open source is such a wonderful thing.
With the intensification of DOClever's business and the expansion of users, in 2017, I decided to make DOClever bigger and stronger. I found some friends and we decided to start a business. It was also the time when entrepreneurship was in the spotlight, and our project was also very fast. It has received a lot of attention. Our main publicity window at that time was Open Source China. Here we met many like-minded friends and received various affirmations and support from editors for our project. I would like to thank Open Source China for your support of China. Contributions to the open source industry.
Exploration and reflection on commercialization
Soon after starting my business, I faced a problem common to most open source software: profitability. At that time, I tried many solutions, such as separating the open source version from the paid version, creating paid plug-ins, charging free services for products, etc., but in the end I found it difficult to implement them. My thoughts at the time were also very simple. I felt that as long as the product is good, users will love it. There will definitely be a way to make money by using it, so I put all my energy into product research and development at the time, developed the interface automated testing module, and made a bold decision: to use electron to build a desktop version, which was among the competing products at the time. , we were the first to dare to do the desktop version. After the desktop version came out, user feedback was very good, but we still fell into a vicious cycle of being unable to make profits. In other words, your product is good and everyone loves to use it. It’s okay to donate a small amount of money to you, but once it involves commercialization, then I’m sorry and have to say goodbye~
Later, we also received customized services from some companies. The cycle was long, the tasks were heavy, and some even had to be stationed. However, we had to do it for the development of the team. I knew in my heart that this was not a long-term solution, and I really didn’t want to put us at risk. As an outsourcing company, I hope everyone can recognize our unified products. If you have any needs, you can give us some time and we can build it into modular functions. But often Party A’s father tells me: No, you need to customize a VVVVVVIP Supreme Special Edition just for me.
In fact, I have seriously reflected on the issue of commercialization afterwards, and I think there are two main points. The market for the interface management platform itself is so large, there are many competing products, and the threshold for software is also low. The reason why I can stand out is that I am free and open source. , the function is not bad, but the user is not necessarily me. Many users turned to us because Postman's collaboration function requires a fee. The needs of these people are also very clear, that is, they want to use it for free. The second point is that for slightly larger companies, they have their own API interface management internally and will not easily use external platforms. Even if they do use it, your original platform will be changed beyond recognition, which is a bit corporate conscience. I will also ask you to give a lecture or something. Thank you. Some will directly copy your code and turn it into a platform developed internally. For us open source entrepreneurs, this is a waste of time.
Entrepreneurship failure
In the middle of 2018, I surrendered to reality. I disbanded our team and went to a large factory for an interview. I remember that when the interviewer asked me what projects I had done, I showed him my github and he smiled with satisfaction, so I was admitted quickly. DOClever has stopped updating since then, and I have devoted all my energy to my new work. The days passed by calmly, until one day a friend in the group sent me a link, and I clicked on it. I was speechless after seeing it. It is also an interface management platform, but the functions, business logic and even the layout of the page and the placement of buttons are exactly the same as DOClever. Suddenly I understood that we had been plagiarized. But what can I do? DOClever has not been updated for a long time, my company at the time has also been cancelled, and the software copyright has expired. All I can do is wish them to do better than me!
Time flies, and now, I have also left that big factory. Fortunately, I accumulated some capital during this period, and I can do what I want to do for at least a few years. Looking back on the past, if you ask me if I regret open source, I don’t regret it. , but I have mixed feelings, because open source I can let more people know me, understand me, realize self-worth, and find a satisfactory job. I have mixed feelings because open source is only a commercial means, not an end. Open source is not only It is the disclosure of source code, and it is also a kind of transmission of value, inner persistence, and spiritual honesty. It has higher requirements for entrepreneurs, but I am far from enough.
Enlightenment
I personally believe that open source entrepreneurship needs to meet two conditions:
1. The market potential of your product is large enough, and the business and functions of your product are irreplaceable.
2. There must be a clear profit model. Which things can attract traffic through open source, and which things are your best-selling products that can really make users pay for them. We must be clear about these ourselves. Many people will complain that the open source atmosphere in China is too bad. It's all just hand-wringing. If someone else gives you a package for what you've worked so hard to write, it's their own. In fact, many times we ourselves are not the same. Almost none of our products do not use open source frameworks or open source libraries, but this does not mean that we do not respect open source. Many foreign commercial software will list the open source packages used one by one. Thank you. This is a good example. I believe the recent success of several domestic civil lawsuits regarding open source protocols will also serve as a good example.
new journey
Going back to what I am doing now, Teamlinker, this is a team collaboration platform based on artificial intelligence. It integrates project management, video conferencing, file sharing and other functions to maximize the collaboration among team members. Many people advised me not to open source TeamLinker, but I feel that as a technical practitioner, I have a spirit of free sharing in my heart. I also very much look forward to communicating with others to make my products better. I want to try again. Give it a try, failure is not terrible, the terrible thing is falling in the same place but not daring to stand up again~
Kaiyuan, it is not easy to say that I love you, but I am happy with it.
Postscript: Everyone is welcome to give our teamlinker some suggestions and criticisms. It would be better if there is a little encouragement.
Official website: https://team-linker.com
Github: https://github.com/Teamlinker/Teamlinker
Gitee: https://gitee.com/sx1989827/teamlinker