Is Branding the Future of Open Source?

Khalid writes "People are still looking for good open source business models. Here is a very interesting one I found in the JBoss site. You can become a certified JBoss Group Authorized Consultant in exchange of $5000. Which comprise training and tests, in return, you can use the JBoss brand, which is quite recognized now. While this may not apply to all open source projects, I think this is a best of both worlds deal. The source is open for everybody (JBoss is LGPL). JBoss get a very solid network of consultants which make the JBoss brand even more solid (human networks never die). Users can get support and service and the people at JBoss Group can get some money to pay the bill and keep improving JBoss to make it an even better product, a very virtuous cycle." $5000 is a lot of money, though, and that cost is per-year, not a lifetime membership.

A bargain!

[Quasar1999]

Pay me $500 a year, and I'll vouch for ya! Sure, I'm a nobody now... but wait till everyone pays me $500... I'll have a great website, and ads during the superbowl... how can you lose?

Paypal account to follow....

Immortality Is Punny

[Sqwerty]

human networks never die
This should read: "Java programmers never die. They just don't C as well."

Reminds me of this email...

[frommageWiz]

Earn $$$ and be your own boss! Thousands of people have made the switch and are now living in financial independence!

Send $50 for informational materials TODAY!
(slide decimal point to right as respectability of target business increases)

Re:This is gonna cost be karma, but...

[smnolde]

Like Linuxgruven?

This won't always work....

[chinton]

I can see it now -- I spend a bunch of time and money learning the ins and outs of audio encoding, compression and all that good stuff... Then I get my branding: Certified LAME Engineer

human networks

[Citizen of Earth]

human networks never die

They can become partitioned by node failures, however.

Re:Amway

[mmol_6453]

My association between Amway and JBoss sprung from the fact that you still had to pay someone to certify you periodically. I didn't catch on that the certification was done by a central organization. Touché.

Alas, I am guilty of commenting before reading. Heck, I've got so much to do, why shouldn't I be able to add reading the articles to the list? :)

Re:Amway

[gentlewizard]

And I'm guilty of yielding to a momentary impulse to be irritable. I apologize. Must the the phase of the moon. :-)

Re:This won't always work....

[FattMattP]

I can see it now -- I spend a bunch of time and money learning the ins and outs of audio encoding, compression and all that good stuff... Then I get my branding: Certified LAME Engineer

It's certainly better than being a Certified GIMP Artist.