First, the title is simply wrong. The OP did not make 100k with Open Source, he made 100k selling something that's an addon to his LGPL based offering. Another part of the package is a commercial license bundled with his software. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but saying that he made money in os is just plain wrong, IMVHO.
>>In nine months of selling commercial licenses, I sold 33 for $1,650. If you figure I spent 300 hours building Sidekiq, that’s less than minimum wage. Result: failure.
Second, If the money was only reason why the OP build the software then I have to agree that this is a failure. If on the other hand sidekiq was used in some of this own projects, he should also calculate how much time/money he saved by creating it.
Why do you object to calling this 'making money with Open Source'? I agree that "making money by developing and selling closed source extensions to open source products" is 'making money with Open Source'. Especially considering he also developed and maintains the OS product.
Because it seems similar to claiming prostitutes make money by greeting people and chatting. Although they do greet and chat for free, what they actually do for money is different.
Note: I believe prostitution is a morally acceptable profession for consenting adults. Therefore I'm not choosing that analogy to be pejorative to the OP; I'm choosing it to be blunt. IMHO the OP is doing nothing wrong, and more power to him. I just agree with GP that the characterization of it as making money "from" open source is confusing.
Well for legal reasons, many of them do claim to charge money for the greeting and chatting, and whatever two consenting adults happen to do after that is their own business.
It's true that they probably couldn't charge for the greet and chat if it weren't for what they do for "free." It's also true that Mike Perham probably couldn't charge for his commercial work, if not for what he did for free.
That analogy would be correct if there would be many, even a majority, of clients that were indeed interested in being greeted and chatting and would seek out the prostitute to obtain that free service only a daily basis. At the same time there would be other clients that were interested in, and would pay for, additional services.
Most of the money made was made with the Pro version of the software. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that version has a commercial license, not an open source one. He's making money with a commercial addon.
>>In nine months of selling commercial licenses, I sold 33 for $1,650. If you figure I spent 300 hours building Sidekiq, that’s less than minimum wage. Result: failure.
Second, If the money was only reason why the OP build the software then I have to agree that this is a failure. If on the other hand sidekiq was used in some of this own projects, he should also calculate how much time/money he saved by creating it.