<http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187202790>
for the full article.
The Givers and Takers of Open Source
InformationWeek (05/15/06)No. 1089, P. 44; Babcock, Charles
The bulk of the work that goes into developing open-source software is
left to uncompensated, mostly anonymous volunteer coders, while large
companies to whom the software often plays a critical role could pull
more weight by getting their own programmers to contribute. Apache Web
Server project co-founder Brian Behlendorf partly attributes the
comparatively low levels of corporate participation in open-source
development to a cultural disparity: He says that whereas business
programmers usually focus on the bottom line to the exclusion of all
else, open-source developers have a "willingness to challenge
authority, the passion to work on an interesting problem well past the
end of the workday, and the time and space to be able to build the
right solution to a problem rather than just the most expedient."
Another factor discouraging big companies from contributing to open
source is their reluctance to cede the rights to the software they
develop, as dictated by the General Public License. Open-source
hard-liners may actually welcome the large companies' overall policy of
non-involvement, as it alleviates fears that too much involvement could
degrade the quality of open-source software. Open-source coders are
often generalized into two categories: Core contributors who undertake
big projects and tend to hail from small companies, universities,
government agencies, and consulting firms; and large-company employees
who are more proficient at spotting glitches, testing code, and
suggesting patches and improvements. Many corporate open-source users
obtain their software from commercial open-source vendors, which can
chill the impulse for altruism. The blunt criticism open-source
enthusiasts apply to each other's work, which is so critical to the
software's quality, is a rarity in large companies. The potential for
hobbyists to make money from their efforts is also growing, which will
complicate matters unless the profit-driven open-source development
model and the purist model can find a way to live together.
===
Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Metaphors be with you.
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