This is the classic &quot;innovators dilemma&quot;.  My 2-cents:  Kx has a good business selling kdb+ licenses to the big banks and trading firms.  They&#x27;ve been exploring how to expand beyond this niche, but many big data&#x2F;analytics startups go straight for the FOSS solutions.  In addition to the cost&#x2F;licensing advantages of FOSS, a large user-base and ecosystem has developed around things like mongoDB, giving them compelling business advantages over kdb+ (even with kdb+ performance advantages).<p>Although mongoDB is a demonstration of how to build a successful business around open-source, it&#x27;s very different to start out that way rather than move that way after you&#x27;re already established as closed&#x2F;licensed product.  Kx would have to essentially kill-off their existing profit stream with the goal that they could build a larger business around FOSS kdb+.  That&#x27;s a risky proposition, fraught with many pitfalls.<p>It is a shame they backed-off of the fully-open 32-bit version.  At least that had some potential to spur some user-base&#x2F;ecosystem growth (at a minimum, this could have encouraged the development of novel clients&#x2F;editors&#x2F;REPLs&#x2F;debuggers&#x2F;charting&#x2F;etc...), without threatening their core profit stream.