Open source citizenship

Drawing on recent discussions with dozens of leaders from corporate OSPOs, nonprofit foundations, and open source communities, Josh Simmons and Cat Allman share what companies are doing to support open source communities, what kind of support open source communities are actually asking for, and the gaps that remain.

We all rely on open source software. As companies grow, they build up policies for managing license compliance and programs for cultivating mutually supportive relationships with the communities behind the software they rely on—often forming an OSPO to drive all this. Drawing on recent discussions with dozens of leaders from corporate OSPOs, nonprofit foundations, and open source communities, Josh Simmons and Cat Allman explore what companies are doing to support open source communities, what kind of support open source communities are actually asking for, and the gaps that remain. By understanding the state of the art in corporate open source engagement and knowing what needs remain unmet, you can help your company be even more effective in supporting healthy open source communities—not just because it’s the right thing to do but because healthy communities translate into greater productivity, innovation, and stability and better security.