Open-source, commercial, non-profit, for-profit: what power have you got?

A previous Impact Blog post expressed the view that scholarly communications shouldn’t just be open but non-profit too. Mark Hahnel responds to that contention, highlighting the technical and financial considerations that render many of the academic-led, grant-funded initiatives unsustainable. Moreover, the non-profit vs. for-profit dichotomy itself may be too simplistic; non-profit is not synonymous with good, and for-profit is not synonymous with exploitation. Provided it is on the right terms, universities should be encouraged to seek help from outside of academia, especially in areas not in their direct area of expertise. With a healthy blend of open-source, commercial, non-profit and for-profit, a democratic marketplace can drive innovation in the academic space.