How do I get paid 

for my 

hard work

     ?



Or, as InfoWorld asks in setting the agenda for the 2009 Open Source business conference,
"How do we evolve open-source business models to ensure vendors get paid without resorting to the same lock-in tactics that the proprietary world has used?"

If you're an individual contributor rather than a vendor, the question may be simpler. It may be, “How do I get paid for my hard work?”

Is that a difficult question? It is for many, using current assumptions. But if we re-examine those assumptions, we see an exciting new possibility.

The answer to both questions is right there in front of us. It's staring us right in the face.

It's both familiar and obvious, when you think about it.

In fact that familiarity is our first challenge. The solution to problems involving open source revenue sources comes from something that's almost too familiar.

Familiar but unexpected.

We at The Authenticity Institute invite you, the open source professional, to take a close look at this new revenue model for open source professionals, think about it, and decide for yourself whether you agree that this will bring new income to members of open source communities.

And however you perceive it -- familiar or not, unexpected or not -- if your project has to do with how people use information, we can show that it will work for you.

At the same time it will add security, reliability and privacy for your users.

But this new solution requires some stepping back and seeing things in a new context.

So let's step back.

Way back.

Go on, dump all assumptions about software for a few minutes.

Just put 'em aside.

Suppose for a moment you were not allowed to use the word “software” or “computer” to describe what we do.

Think about it. You're talking to your grandfather in 1955, telling him what you and I do.

How would you describe what you do?

It seems to me that we provide

facilities.

Generally, they are facilities of two types:

facilities for moving information – the old “information highway” designation seems to fit here.

Outdoor stuff.

or

We build facilities where information is used by people.

That is, we're building either routing and switching and traffic management facilities,

or we're building facilities that will be used by specific groups of people for their specific purposes

inside bounded spaces.

Think about it.

Isn't the value provided by much of today's software similar to the value provided by an office building or meeting hall or other InDoor space? Aren't we building sets of bounded and designated spaces in which people can work on files and share them with ease and confidence?

Q: What do we build after the highway is built?
A: We build that which highways bring us to, that is, buildings.

If you're working on the outdoor public transport facility, the highway system known as the Internet, then your work is guided and governed by a set of principles other than what we'll discuss here. Thank you for providing the rest of us with a really great outdoor public transport system.

If on the other hand you're developing that which highways bring people to, that is, buildings, then we have a revenue model for you.

If your efforts are directed toward the outdoor public transport facility, the Internet, or if you would like to learn more about this outdoor/InDoor distinction, click here...
Go to highway plan



So, since this is about buildings and about the InfoWorld question,
"How do we evolve open-source business models to ensure vendors get paid without resorting to the same lock-in tactics that the proprietary world has used?"

We should then ask,

How do architects and contractors and structural engineers and other building professionals make sure that they get paid for their services?

The answer is that architecture and construction professionals do not resort to the same lock-in tactics that the proprietary software world has used.

Rather, building professionals use different lock-in methods to ensure that they get paid for their expertise and their hard work.

The proprietary software world uses FUDILIMOP-style tactics to ensure an ongoing revenue stream...

Fear, Uncertaintly, Doubt, Inauthenticity, Lock-In with Manipulation Of Perceptions.

By contrast, architects, construction professionals and structural engineers do not need to resort to Fear, Uncertaintly, Doubt, Inauthenticity, and aggressive Lock-In techniques to ensure that they get paid.

And they don't need to manipulate perceptions.

Rather, architects, engineers and construction professionals use different lock-in techniques.

They lock in their compensation by relying on the openness and authenticity of the

                    occupancy permit

to ensure that they get paid.

The occupancy permit is pure magic for anyone who supplies expertise in the making of facilities – and who would like to get paid for that effort.

You're probably aware that almost everywhere in the world, the owner of a new building must make sure that the structure passes a set of inspections before it can be granted an occupancy permit, that is, before it can be used.

The building must meet building codes.

But did you know that the architect and structural engineers and contractors must also sign off on the issuance of the occupancy permit?

Among other things, that means that the architect and structural engineers and contractors will have been paid for their expertise and their hard work.

Otherwise the owner cannot use the building.

As a designer and builder of online real estate, doesn't that have a certain appeal to you?

The development of physical buildings has some things in common with the development of open source facilities.

The paper used for blueprints of physical buildings is almost as free as the bits used in online buildings built with open source. You don't need any special permission to use the tools of an architect, engineer or contractor. But if you actually want to use that which is built with the blueprints, you must pay the maker of the blueprints and the contractor who built from them! 

It's the law.

So, how can we build the open source business model using the principles of physical real estate?

What can be imported from one world to the other?

And what specific adaptations do we need to make?

As it turns out, surprisingly few adaptations are needed. This metaphor has legs.

But now we need to differentiate between technology and the environment in which technology is used.

To illustrate, when construction materials scientists look at a building project, they naturally tend to focus on its construction materials.

But we all know there's a lot more to a building than the materials that were used in its construction.

When you walk into a building, you have a level of assurance that it will not fall down on you.

Is that because you can have confidence in its construction materials?

Well, sure. Materials are a big part of it.

But there's much more to it than construction materials, of course.

If other important aspects of sound building practices are not considered, the result is not a viable building. History illustrates the point.

"How do we evolve open-source business models to ensure vendors get paid without resorting to the same lock-in tactics that the proprietary world has used?"

When you walk into a building, you have a level of assurance that it will not fall down on you. Is that because you can have confidence in its contruction materials?

Sure.

When it comes to facilities, technologists naturally tend to focus on the materials science, the nature of the construction materials used. 

But there's much more to it than construction materials, of course. If other important aspects of sound building practices are not considered, the result is not a viable building.

Let's take a look at a really superior set of construction materials, to illustrate why good materials do not by themselves make a good building.


20 years later there were still no 15 story buildings.
Structural concrete and steel obviously don't work.

Would you expect a pile of construction materials to assemble itself into a building?

Of course you know there's more to making useful and secure structures than simply making materials available.

Let's look at a particular set of construction materials that was invented in the 1970's. The inventors of Public Key infrastructure (PKI) envisioned online spaces where people could share information with complete security from anywhere in the world. And in fact PKI is the heart of a solution to problems of identity theft, malware, phishing attacks, spam, fraud, theft, predation and a multitude of other Internet related problems.

Why then is the Internet still infested with identity theft, malware, phishing attacks, spam, fraud, theft and predation?

In 2001 a paper by two eminent cryptographers offered ten reasons why PKI  had failed to live up to its promise.

Three years later a book entitled Quiet Enjoyment paraphrased their analysis as "Ten reasons why PKI construction materials have failed to assemble themselves into buildings."

PKI has not solved our Internet problems for precisely the same reason that concrete and steel had not been effectively deployed to make fifteen story buildings twenty years after their invention. Construction materials do not assemble themselves into buildings. Besides construction materials, the following things are needed for a building to be habitable:

Architects who have professional licenses at stake,

Contractors who have professional licenses at stake,

Structural engineers who have professional licenses at stake,

Building codes set by duly constituted public authority

construction permits issued by duly constituted public authority,

Professionally licensed building inspectors, commissioned by public authority

an understanding of how a building is used,

And:

occupancy permits

are all essential to the making of useful and secure and habitable and manageable buildings.

What has this got to do with you, the open source software professional?

If you're making sufficient income from your open source work, the answer will interest you.

If you're looking for a way to get better rewarded from your open source efforts, the answer will interest you even more.

It's all about the magic of the occupancy permit.

In most places a building may not be occupied until its professionally licensed architects and contractors have been paid. That's the magic of the occupancy permit.

The occupancy permit has nothing to do with code licensing. The code you build with is free, as always. It's open source. That doesn't change a bit.

Just as anyone can make construction drawings and hammer a nail without any need for licensing.

But wouldn't it be nice if those who asked you to build facilities were required to pay you for your work before they could occupy the online facility?

In addition to our PKI construction materials we need the following things to bring the magic of the occupancy permit to online facilities:

The Occupancy Permit is the answer.


Besides our PKI construction materials we need the following things to bring the magic of the occupancy permit to online facilities:

DCPA - Duly Constituted Public Authority
A source of public authority must be available in order for there to be professional licensing, building codes and occupancy permits. And public authority implies a jurisdiction, a physical or logical region where a particular set of ordinances apply to all who choose to live or own property within that jurisdiction.

Reliable Identities
We must have a high level of confidence in the identities of the individuals whose names are on the occupancy permit, as well as those of all others involved. That requires proper enrollment procedures and certification of public keys by Duly Constituted Public Authority.

A Privacy Infrastructure
While it's not a big problem in the world of physical real estate, the availability of reliable identities online presents privacy issues. 

If done right, reliable identity credentials are the starting point for a fortress of personal privacy. That may be the opposite of common assumptions about universal identity credentials. But it happens to be true that reliable identities done right provide not only accountability but real privacy. My book, Own Your Privacy, explans.

Professional Licensing
Beyond building codes and aside from occupancy permits there is the signature of the architect on the blueprint, along with his or her professional license number. If the design proves defective, the professional license - in our case an attribute certificate - can be suspended, modified or revoked. 

Again, it has nothing to do with code licensing. It's a matter of having the right signatures on the document that makes the facility habitable.

Only in this case, the signatures are digital signatures, and the documents and the facility itself are the same thing.

Licenses called for in the Quiet Enjoyment Infrastructure include:

  • Professional Architect's License
  • Professional Structural Engineer's License
  • Professional Contractor's License
  • Professional Building Inspector's License

Building Codes
For a facility to provide InDoor space and be eligible for an occupancy permit, certain software practices are mandated. These practices are called building codes.

Building Inspections
Building inspections are code audits by professionally licensed building inspectors.

Occupancy Permits
This is the attribute certificate that says, "Not only has this facility been designed by a licensed architect, built by a professionally licensed contractor, and inspected by a professionally licensed building inspector; in addition, all three of them are happy enough with the way the owner has treated them to sign off on this permit."

Why You Should Look Into This

Why You Should Look Into Professional Licensing
You may be asking yourself, “Why would I voluntarily subject myself to everything that's involved in these professional licenses?".

If so, then also ask yourself, “what would it be worth to a company to have the assurance of a far greater level of security built in than is available with the latest firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, malware detection, and staffs of costly security experts?

What will it be worth when the InDoors Infrastructure proves to policymakers and lawmakers that it solves large amounts of security and accountability concerns that motivate legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA and so many others? What will it be worth to you when you are holding that professional license?

With your participation, the InDoors Infrastructure, a component of the Quiet Enjoyment Infrastructure, will bring new viability to the economics of open source.

"How do we evolve open-source business models to ensure vendors and individual open source professionals get paid...?"

Frequently Anticipated Questions


How mature is the Quiet Enjoyment Infrastructure?

It's further along than you may think.

Professional licenses can only come from duly constituted public authority. This isn't some branded vendor certification program, this is professional licensing.

On March 7, 2005, three years after the originators of the World e-Trust Initiative and the Quiet Enjoyment Infrastructure learned of each others' approach to global PKI, the Quiet Enjoyment Infrastructure meeting was held the headquarters of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva. 

QEI city charter meetingPhoto courtesy of Robin Good.

QEI Osmio Municipal Charter Meeting at ITU HQ Geneva 3/7/05:
Alex Ntoko of the ITU, Ugo Bechini of the UINL, Wes Kussmaul of QEA. 

At that meeting the head of the World e-Trust Initiative and representatives of the International Union of the Latin Notariat began developing the Municipal Charter of the City of Osmio. Osmio is a city that exists only in cyberspace, but which is chartered to provide duly constituted public authority to its jurisdiction.

Since then, the City of Osmio has been working toward building its own  Certification Authority. Its Vital Records Department issues digital certificates attesting to identities after a proper enrollment procedure is completed. A properly identified open source professional may then begin the process of qualifying for a professional license.

Osmio, like any city, is only as vital and relevant as its inhabitants make it. Osmio is not a piece of software that you acquire but rather something that you participate in. Like a social network, its inhabitants make it what it is. By definition our inhabitants are people who value authenticity. (Won't it be nice to associate with people like that?)

Who is subject to Osmio's jurisdiction? 
The answer to that question is the same as any city's answer: those who choose to live or work or have real estate in Osmio are subject to its jurisdiction. In addition, other social network communities may choose to submit to Osmio's administrative jurisdiction and gain the benefits of reliable identities and InDoor spaces. We invite you, the qualified software developer, to help with the appropriate APIs.

Where is Osmio located?
Osmio is the most conveniently located city on earth. Literally, it's right on your desktop - or in your pocket.

Who owns Osmio?
A nation or state does not own its cities, and the ITU does not own Osmio.  Really, a city is owned by its inhabitants, and Osmio is no different. Legally, Osmio exists as a nonprofit, non-stock corporation. Osmio invites you to establish a residence or office in Osmio and become one of its owners.

Who governs Osmio?
Osmio is an Optimocracy, which means that it is governed by moderators and commissions, with the commissions being composed of commissioners who have demonstrated that a) they have followed the debate on the issues taken up by the commission, as manifested in digital signatures on logs, and b) they have demonstrated by means of objective testing that they understand the issues.

To learn more about our source of public authority, go to Osmio. (opens in a new window)

Where do we get Reliable Identities?
The City of Osmio Vital Records Department licenses Reliable Identities, an enrollment services firm and member of The Authenticity Alliance, to act as Enrollment Authority (the equivalent of Registration Authority in other PKIs.) Visit Reliable Identities to learn about enrollment and credential options.

What about the Privacy Infrastructure?
When you establish a residence in the City of Osmio, it includes a Private Office (PKI facility) and something called MyOwnInformation. The use of your information in MOI is governed by a Personal Nondisclosure Agreement, which must be digitally signed by any entity who wants access to any of your personal information. Visit Osmio's Department of Personal Intellectual Property to learn about the Personal Information Ownership Infrastructure and its MyOwnInformation and PersonalNDA.

How can I learn more about Professional Licensing?
Actually at this point residences are only being offered to individuals who are interested in a professional license when Osmio's Professional Licensing Board starts making license applications available. We need you, the open source software professional, to participate in the building of our city and to help get Osmio ready to serve ordinary people who are not involved with software development.


"How do we evolve open-source business models to ensure vendors get paid without resorting to the same lock-in tactics that the proprietary world has used?"

Osmio Professional Licenses

If you're involved in the development of open source software, this is your opportunity do get an early start in what promises to be an important new revenue model for the open source community as a whole.

Really, this isn't just an open source development project. The Online Real Estate Professional Infrastructure can be thought of as the answer to the question, "what's next after open source," just as open source itself was the answer to the question, "what's next after proprietary software?"

The requirements for professional licensing will be rigorous and exacting. Administering licensing programs is costly, a fact that is reflected in the fees charged for professional licenses. 

While the development of the professional licensing program will require the involvement of open source professionals like yourself, the residence program is ready for launch.

Because we want Osmio's first inhabitants to be involved in helping to shape the culture and civic standards of Osmio, the AuthentiCity, we invite you, the open source developer, to become one of the first. To that end we are making our special offers:

Puzzle Kit Kit free version
  • Residence
  • Online Enrollment
  • Copy of Quiet Enjoyment
  • Online access to The Office and the Bazaar
  • SDK
  • PKI for Developers short course at pkiuniversity.com 
  • Opportunity to shape the new open source revenue model
(This offer will last only until we've gathered some steam, so we'd click here now if we were you.)

Puzzle Kit Kit not so free version
  • Residence
  • Face-to-Face notarial Enrollment
  • Smart Card (OpenID backed by certificate authentication)
  • Smart Card reader/writer
  • (or) USB identity token
  • MyOwnInformation privacy infrastructure
  • Private Office (built with PKI construction materials)
  • Copy of Quiet Enjoyment
  • Copy of The Office and the Bazaar
  • SDK
  • PKI for Developers tutored course at pkiuniversity.com ($1000 value)
  • 50% discount on initial fee for professional license
  • Opportunity to shape the new open source revenue model
Only $250

Join now! Go to the Abyx Bookstore and help build the new open source economy.
Learn more:

Read The Office and the Bazaar online...
Read about the new definition of PKI