1. How did you get started?

After 7 years effort on open source community and 3 years business practice on open source services in China, we think it is a right time for us to start up TargetSource. More and more companies always ask us to help them to solve problems when they use open source, sometime if you are just a individual, it is not a long term strategy for company to get support on open source software. That’s why we started TargetSouce, an open source service company which delivers to end customers by a global collaboration network with partners base on the open source software.

2. What is your product?

TargetSource strategy is not building a single open source component or product such as JBoss, hibernate, Spring or so. From our point view, our customer requirement is a solution, which can help them solve their technology problem and optimize their business. So, TargetSource has developed the Enterprise-Ready Open Source™ Platform to enable these powerful new open source-based solutions. For each solution, TargetSource selects the right components, and then integrates, builds, tests and packages them to create stacks that are optimized for that solution.

3. Key milestones?

In the next coming 5 years , there will be three key milestones for TargetSource

1) 2008, startup year for core team building, spread enterprise-ready open source strategy to China, and enable more business and technology partner to use enterprise-ready open source software. At the same time , establish the partnership with open source companies such as Redhat, SUN Microsystem, SpringSource, MuleSource, IONA and so forth. Begin to build a good open source ecosystem in China.

2) 2011, with 3 years growth, TargetSource will growth fast and establish his capacity and position on open source services market in China, It will enter into a faster growth period.

3) 2013, TargetSource will become the NO.1 open source service company in China, whenever an company wants to use open source software , he should call TargetSource for help.

4. Why did you decide on the open source model?

Open source is already beyond the source code, it’s about process, the way on how to build good software; it’s about community, the way to let more people to share their ideas together; it’s about methodlogy, the way on how we think about software. Out vision is to build good software and let more enterprise to use it with the right way without lock into commercial software,give people the freedom to use software. Open Source is the right choice to make all this happen.

5. How do you see TargetSource in 5 years?

As I have metioned in the key milestones , TargetSource will growth fast in the next coming 5 years, we will provide more opportunity for smarter people who work on open source , we will hire those people from the community also contribute on open source in the community. TargetSource will be a community driven company, the one important think for us to do is to enable more open source community in China, right now , it’s important to breed community soil in China, then you will gain in the next coming 5 years. TargetSource will become an very important company of China software industry also be an important role in the open source world.

6. Some comments on Open Source and China

After running more than 7 years open source community in China, there are really so many things I can talk about open source in China, but the first thing I want to say that open source in China is just at the early age, there is still need to learn more about the open source community management methodology, how to adopt open source software into your software, how to share and exchange ideas between different kinds of community. The second is about education, if we want to make open source success in China also around the world, we need to let more student to learn and participate the open source, if you know it, maybe you will use, then you will participate.

That’s why I started the Open Source University program to give lectures around 100 universities in China.

Language is culture , If you want to do business well in China, the first thing is to learn Chinese, find the best local people with international experience and ability to collaboration with you. Finally, I think Open Source will be the best way to make China software industry become stronger.