Final game

Corporate Adoption

100

Define FOSS

• Software available for anyone to use, for anypurpose, for free (depending on the license!)

• Anyone can view the source code of thesoftware as opposed to proprietary software

• Community-based development (volunteersin most cases!)

300

Name on benefit and one drawback of companies adopting FOSS

benefits of companies adopting FOSS:

• Cost saving by not purchasing software

• Cost saving by not developing in-house

• Network effects

• What are the drawbacks of adopting FOSS?
  
  
  

  • Security concerns

  • Licensing compatibility

  • Governance conflicts

500

How does FOSS differ from proprietary software?

1. Licensing & Access

• FOSS → Source code is open. Anyone can view, study, modify, and share it.

• Proprietary → Source code is closed. Users only get a license to use the software under strict terms.

• 2. Cost

  • FOSS → Usually free to download and use (though companies may charge for support, hosting, or customization).

  • Proprietary → Typically requires payment (one-time license, subscription, or per-user fees).

  • 3. Control & Customization

    • FOSS → Users can adapt the software to their own needs, add features, or remove what they don’t want.

    • Proprietary → Users must wait for the vendor to make changes; no legal right to modify.

Further Development

100

what causes Volunteer worker to continue working on FOSS?

They are driven by intrinsic motivations like a passion for learning, a sense of belonging to a community, and their professional identity.

300

From a company perspective why do they not want a single developer? 

Many of the most widely used FOSS packages are maintained by individual developers, not large communities. This is risky because that person could retire, change jobs, or be unable to continue the work.

500

Survey response (average time worked on debian?)

0-20%

Continuous Implementation

100

What is Hybridization 

• Companys taking communityinventions/ ideas and turning themprivet

• Continuing the development of thistool in privet

• Company donating or payingvolunteer workers to continueworking on it

300

The "Free-Riding" Problem:

A central tension is that firms profit from the vast amount of unpaid labor from the volunteer community, raising critical questions about the fair distribution of the economic benefits created by FOSS.

example

• A major conflict occurred between Elastic and Amazon, where Amazon took Elastic's open source code, repackaged it, and sold it as a competing service.

500

How Companies Can Help Protect FOSS

1.Companies should have clear policies that encourage and support employees who want to contribute to FOSS projects.

2.They should follow the example of the US government and create a "software bill of materials" (SBOM), which lists all the software components in a product. This helps identify and manage potential vulnerabilities.

3.When companies contribute to FOSS, they should focus not only on features that are useful to them but also on general security and maintenance