Should I Open Source Every Product I Build as an Indie Developer?
I'm an indie developer who has built several free-to-use tool applications that I plan to monetize through advertising once they gain enough users. My dilemma is whether to open source these products now, or wait until they're more established.
> My dilemma is whether to open source these products now, or wait until they're more established.
I find this statement curious because I don't understand why there should be a connection between software being "established" and being open source.
What is your goal here?
> monetize through advertising
If you open-source, what's preventing someone running a quick copy elsewhere?
Just a question, why do you want to open source at all?
Naah bro, it's hard to monetize open source projects.
It depends on what you're building and if you're trying to build a business, or just make a few bucks on the side. If you're trying to build a business, your decision to open source it should be in service of that goal. Is it a developer tool/library with a commercial offering that builds on top of it where open-sourcing it is your main marketing source? If so, then that can be a solid strategy. But if they are just regular tools you're building, then likely there are far better marketing strategies than using open-source.
And that is great to want to give back with open source. But if you're just starting out on your business, then that is a major distraction from the main task at hand.