(via Newsforge)
Steven M. Rubin describes how he's been able to spend a significant amount of time over the years making money by supporting his free software package: Electric (a CAD system for circuit design).
So every day, I work on Electric, and I still love it. I don't work very hard: about 25 billable hours per week, plus time in the evening to answer "fan mail". No boss can kill my project, and there's never been a lack of work. I even have colleagues all over the world who contribute code and help me to build a well-respected piece of software. It could never have happened without GNU.Steve also describes how the business wasn't viable before he GPL'd Electric.
