Comment by nathan_f77
5 years ago
I've been reading through many of the other pages on the SQLite website. I didn't realize that SQLite is developed by a company (Hwaci) and funded by selling support, licenses, and testing services. I had always assumed it was an open source project backed by a non-profit, similar to the Apache Software Foundation.
This is another very interesting example of an open-source business. I would be interested to learn more about how the Hwaci company operates (revenue, number of employees, etc.). I find this very interesting:
> We are a 100% engineering company. There is no sales staff. Our goal is to provide outstanding service and honest advice without spin or sales-talk.
They list some "$8K-50K/year" and "$85k" price tags directly on their "Pro Support" webpage. These would usually be behind a "Schedule a Call" or "Get Quote" button. I've been thinking about doing something similar with my own on-premise licenses and support contracts. I'm not very good at sales and I don't really want to hire a sales team, so I'd be interested to know how this worked out for them.
I also liked this sentence, which is very similar to Basecamp's philosophy (and both companies were started around the same time - 1999 vs 2000):
> Hwaci intends to continue operating in its current form, and at roughly its current size until at least the year 2050.
It's interesting to think that SQLite could have raised money and grown into a billion-dollar public company with thousands of employees.
I'm going to listen to this Changelog interview with Richard Hipp now [2], and also this talk on YouTube [3].
[1] https://sqlite.org/prosupport.html
Also important to note is that enterprise pricing is way higher than you'd think because when an enterprise needs a solution, something like $1000 is literally too cheap to justify the cost of procurement (which involves not just getting a license, but also internal documentation, which in turn needs to be entered into whatever process certification programme is in place, etc.)
That’s why many companies have a policy where licenses below a certain value can just be expensed.
As someone who has had to evaluate and recommended enterprise software for purchasing, a straightforward price tag is going to make me come your product in a better light.
Plus, I have to wonder how much extra profit the "call us" route actually takes in, after you've subtracted costs for the marketing staff it requires (especially if you try to renegotiate the cost after the subscription/license expires).
Thank you for writing up about the company behind SQLite. I never knew!
I knew SQLite is well-respected by many, considered one of the best examples of software engineering. I just assumed that it was created by an individual or small team of brilliant minds - and developed/maintained by a user community - as such well-designed software often is.
The company sounds great. Their approach to business is refreshing, and reminds of a few other exemplary companies with principles, daring to tread their own path to success.
As an addendum: Hipp, Wyrick & Company, Inc. (Hwaci) is based in North Carolina, USA.
http://hwaci.com/
Yes, it's a very smart business model. SQLite is extremely useful at all levels; I get it for free (not even merely open source, they took pains to dedicate it into the public domain, which is part of why they don't take patches), and enterprises pay to have their procurement boxes ticked, legal documents signed, and so forth.
The hypothetical Hwaci which tried to be a trendy billion dollar company would be so much worse, and you probably wouldn't even be able to buy support. No one would benefit but institutional money.