Open-Source Software Gains As Moneymaker May 14, 2009, 16 :33 UTC (0 Talkback[s]) (2078 reads)
"Big software makers such as IBM (IBM), Oracle (ORCL) and Sun Microsystems (JAVA) have harnessed and transformed open-source developer communities for their own commercial ends, says Bruce Guptill, an analyst and consultant at Saugatuck Technologies. He says two-thirds of today's open-source development projects are being done by commercial vendors.
"In some cases, chunks of open-source code are incorporated into commercial products. More often, commercial vendors tap thousands of volunteers to test their software and fix any bugs.
"Software vendors are basically co-opting the benefits of the open-source community model to meet their own needs, and the needs of their customers," Guptill said. "It's a smart move on their part."
