The Real Measure of Software Success

There’s a lot of buzz around these days about what makes or breaks open source. Nat Torkington recently blogged about Is “Open Source” Completely Meaningless?. He asks a good question when asking for feedback on the future direction of OSCON. The recent Open Solutions Alliance (OSA) announcement has had a number of folks wallowing in the precise checklist of who really qualifies to use the term “Open Source” in relation to their business – “pure” open source, open source-based, and on and on.

Don’t get me wrong, Open Source is an important business model that lowers the barriers to entry for both producers and consumers of projects. I believe it’s truly an integral piece of the new economics of the software business. At Hyperic we use the GPL v2, publish our source code on a publicly browseable subversion repo, and work on a transparent engineering process. But this is a licensing issue which, while very important, is sort of moot if you get the product questions all wrong. I think there are more important measures for what makes successful software, regardless of their open source status – what are you providing for the customer?

Here is my short list of success criteria:

• Software must be installed by the same audience that will use it. This means that for 99% of software products out there, it should be both intuitive and come with some sort of installer. If your documentation starts with “This will be really difficult” or “First step is ./configure && make && make install”, you have a problem, most likely in the form of angry, confused and support-dependent customers. Hand-assembling products by users is not power, it’s just a way to appeal to only those with enough time and skill to compile software. Not exactly a great way to start a meaningful customer relationship.
• Value of the software should be self-evident within an hour, preferably 20 minutes. Spending 6 months with a team of expensive consultants to get value, is unrealistic to expect from anyone these days. Actually, its obnoxious. So what if it’s free/open source/good for your health… people are busy, and projects and vendors should put serious effort into making their value clear to their adopters from the earliest part of the adoption cycle.
• Technology vision should reach further then solutions present in the market today. The ole’ 80% of the product for 20% of the cost is nice, but only if you are shopping for imitation perfume on the Home Shopping Network – or anything else that is exclusively a knock-off only market. If you want thought leadership and a company to partner with to lead your charge for solving your problems both today and tomorrow, you want someone with more than a thimbleful of innovation in their company. Look for real innovation – solving problems yet unadressed, or a bigger way then ever thought possible before. Remember, it’s supposed to be a “BETTER” mousetrap, not just a “FREE” one.
• Software with real and successful customers. When it all comes down to it, if customers aren’t using it and aren’t successful, then your product is fundamentally flawed whatever your business model. It’s the only conclusion. There’s a lot of noise out there in the open source market about the number of downloads being the meaningful benchmark. It’s eerily reminiscent of the late nineties… when “EYEBALLS” were what people valued over everything. If those eyeballs are not finding enough value in your offerings to pay you, then expect to find yourself next to an all too familiar sock puppet. Downloads are not the defining metric of success, as they can be gamed. Community participants and, frankly, customers matter more. This is, after all, a business. A business where the definition of value isn’t in the obscurity of code or process, but in real value to the customer.

If a company and its software meet these criteria, trust me, they’ll be successful, and everyone – users, customers, partners, and integrators alike – will want to work with them. The open source business model brings the additional benefits of a community of rabid fans and the clarity of conscience which comes from delivering value to customers that doesn’t come from erecting false barriers but from the success that the product enables.

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