Isn't one of the implications of the Open Source model that ESR, etc. developed that software development houses /aren't/ the natural way to profit from software? I've always thought that the best way to make money from open-source software was to work for a business who was paying you to develop for the software products that they use. A business may have a difficult time profiting from OSS, but many, many individuals, working at different companies on the same project, may make a tidy living for themselves, and the bottom line of each of those companies improves because they are sharing the cost of development. no?