"Free, as in Beer"

While the "free" Free Beer beer (I couldn't resist) is a clever application of open-source ethos, I don't think there are really many questions anymore surrounding the free-as-in-speech software business model. The most often-heard criticism is that companies won't want to incorporate open-source software protected by GPL-like agreements because of the requirement that they release proprietary changes will stifle innovation. It turns out, however, that since we've moved into an era in which software is more or less a commodity, the real money is made in support. Many companies have followed the support model, most notably, IBM, with their Linux initiative. Other companies have started to give away "old" code (that is not commercially viable), like Id Software, who released the entire Quake 3 Arena source code under the GPL in 2005.

I would like to see a lot more code released without a license, though. I realize that some people may find that unacceptable since anyone could then use that code commercially either in part or as a whole. In many cases, though, it's just not that important. 99.99% of the code I write has no commercial application, and I'd be thrilled if someone found it usefully at all.