How do we fund open source?
How we support open source is the question of our time. My latest
story on InfoWorld outlines the possible ways to fix maintainer inequities and fund this critical ecosystem.
The big question in open source right now is funding. Today I'm excited to share my article published on InfoWorld that lays out all the possible funding avenues for open source, featuring insights from experts with deep experience across various open source software communities.
To fix the inequity in open source, folks have suggested SaaS-like payments, more project sponsorship, increased code contributions, corporate pledges, government aid, and other tactics, like intermediary companies.
I hope this will shed some light on the issue and inspire some goodwill. Personally, I think treating open source as a public good is the most forward-looking option, although it'll probably require a combination of the efforts laid out here to sustain this ecosystem as those initiatives mature.
As Red Hat's Brian Proffitt says, "There is no one-size-fits-all solution."
