I have read a few blog entries lately questioning the value of open source. The most over-the-top comes from Andy Patrizio. In his posting, titled “Big Money and Open Source May Not Compute”, Andy sounds like a school yard bully angry that his turf is finally being challenged:

I have some experience in Open Source, so I am compelled to opine. In 1999 I co-founded a Linux company. Terra Soft Solutions, Inc. is the developer of a flavor of Linux for IBM’s POWER microprocessor family intended for the High Performance Computing market segment.

Over the last decade, the company has seen some amazing accomplishments. Our customer list includes every Department of Energy national lab, all the major defense contractors, and corporations such as Boeing. One of our proudest moments was landing a contract with Lockheed Martin and the US Navy to provide a complex sonar solution that was deployed on-board the US Navy Submarine fleet.

All this and more from a small technology company out of Colorado. How did we do it?

From Day 1, a core value was to do right by the Open Source community. In return, the community supported us. The benefits were numerous and priceless. For example, our Navy contract faced a major technological challenge. A deal breaker if it wasn’t solved. The challenge was well outside the reach of even the best Linux engineers. Despite all that, we were able to find a skilled engineer with a one-of-a-kind skill set who devised a solution. Even the most successful engineering companies on the planet would not have had such quick access to critical talent and timely resolution. What a powerful force!

Nobody talks about the thousands if not hundreds of thousands of jobs that exist because of Open Source. But Andy wants his billionaire. Only then will Open Source be validated. I am certain that the movement has created tangible and intangible value that is more widespread and long-term in impact than one billionaire.

These days I often speak to people about my experience running an Open Source startup as the backdrop for a broader conversation about entrepreneurship.

We learned how to build a company with a strong and healthy soul. At the heart of which are principles that all entrepreneurs should consider when building a company:

• Define what you believe in.
• Live your core values in everything you do.
• Invest the time necessary to build strong, enduring relationships.
• Work for something greater than yourself.

Building a company from scratch is no easy task to be sure, but I am convinced that a strong company soul will better prepare you to survive the key tests along the way.