“…how do I convince my management that ‘giving something
back’ to the Linux and/or Open Source community is a good
idea? A bit of background: we are almost entirely a
Linux-based shop and base most of our services and products around
Open Source Software of some kind.”
“One thing you can do is compile a list of “case studies” of
Linux-based business who are successful and/or highly regarded in
both the financial and Open-Source communities, and find out what
they’re doing. Sometimes, “making business sense” is no more than
saying, “Well, Joey’s doing it, and Susie’s doing it,” and letting
your management figure out for themselves that they must know what
they’re doing. VA Linux, Red Hat, and Cobalt Networks would be the
obvious examples, seeing as how their IPO’s went gangbusters, and
their names tend to be recognizeable. VA Linux, of course, sponsors
Linux.Com, SourceForge, and otherwise donates money, hardware, and
more to Open Source projects. Along with SGI and O’Reilly
Associates, VA also pays for the packaging and distribution of
Debian with no profit. Red Hat pays Alan Cox (famous kernel god) a
full time salary, mostly for continuing what he’s always done:
kernel hacking. Cobalt Networks pays David Miller (another kernel
god) mostly also to continue kernel hacking. Sure, Red Hat gets Cox
to do a few things that benefit them directly, as does Cobalt with
the work Miller has done on a MIPS port of Linux, but pretty much
everything they work on goes back into the Open Source pool.”
“Another thing you can point out is that from a purely mercenary
standpoint, it’s at least a tax writeoff for the company (if it’s a
U.S. company), and not just a tax writeoff but one that actually
has a chance of buying the company better software in the long run.
… Then, too, let’s not forget the good PR. You can explain to
your management that it would be good public relations to donate
back to the Open Source community.”