We were on TV; you could be too!

Making our software free is a key part of SilverStripe's philosophy, along with making it easier for people to build and manage websites.

This week SilverStripe was asked by prime-time New Zealand TV show "Close Up" to explain how we can make a successful business out of this. The show also included Nat Torkington, a key open source figure, and one of SilverStripe's advisory board members.

"The way SilverStripe has structured their business is really
interesting. Giving away their software freely might be great for the
users, but to make a sustainable, profitable company out of it takes
courage and intelligence. I wanted to let New Zealand know about a great case of kiwi ingenuity and risk-taking that was taking a local firm to the international stage".

-- Damian Christie, interviewer

We're thrilled to be given the honour of explaining to the public how they can benefit from the free software / open source culture, and how this fuels the innovation needed to make useful, high quality software. 

As a follow up, Close Up journalist Damian Christie has issued a challenge: Create a mashup from the interview and unedited footage. The best mashups will be featured on the Television New Zealand website, and may even be broadcasted on another edition of Close Up! There's no firm deadline for submissions apart from mid May.

• Information on the challenge
• Watch the televised show on YouTube or download it (5 mins, 40MB, .avi file)
• Download raw footage of the story (22 mins, 40MB, .mov file).

You can learn more about open source in New Zealand  at open4business.co.nz and the New Zealand Open Source Society.