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OpenLogic Survey Debunks Myths About Open Source Developers

50 Percent of Open Source Developers Polled Work for Proprietary Software Companies

BROOMFIELD, Colo. March 25, 2008 - OpenLogic, Inc., a provider of enterprise open source software support and open source governance solutions encompassing hundreds of open source packages, today announced the results of a survey of the OpenLogic Expert Community. The survey shows that OpenLogic Expert Community members, who are leading committers and contributors of open source products, work in a wide range of jobs and have a wide range of motivations for developing and supporting open source software.

The poll was conducted with OpenLogic Expert Community members in the first week of March 2008. Fifty Expert Community members responded, most of who participate in several open source projects.

In summary, the poll of OpenLogic Expert Community Members found:

Open source developers are not open source "fanatics."
- 50 percent of respondents work for proprietary software companies, whereas only 6 percent work for an open source company that primarily provides software and/or services around open source.
- 72 percent of respondents claimed there is some overlap between their day job and their open source work.

Not all open source software will be commercialized.
- 50 percent of respondents said there is no commercial company associated with the projects they work on.
- 84 percent of respondents felt that widely used open source software would not necessarily have a commercial company associated with it.

Open source developers are motivated by both money and altruism.
- Although 52 percent of respondents claimed that money was a major driver for joining OpenLogic's Expert Community, 64 percent said they joined to help support open source software.

"The open source community can not be easily defined by simple stereotypes or descriptions," said Stormy Peters, director of community and partner programs at OpenLogic. "What the 50 leading project leads who answered our survey tells us is that people have various motivations for working in open source."

The full results of the survey can be found at: www.openlogic.com/blogs/author/stormy/.

About the OpenLogic Expert Community

Through the OpenLogic Expert Community, OpenLogic pays qualified experts within the open source development community to provide in-depth support for open source products.

In 2007, the OpenLogic Expert Community grew to 160 members. Field experts who OpenLogic pays on a per-incident basis helped resolve almost half of OpenLogic's support issues in 2007, with the remainder being resolved by OpenLogic's in-house experts.

In addition to paying individual open source developers involved in the Expert Community, OpenLogic matches 10 percent of the money paid to developers each year with donations to leading open source non-profits such as the Apache Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Center.

About OpenLogic

OpenLogic is a leading provider of open source solutions that enable enterprises to safely acquire, support, and control open source software. OpenLogic provides enterprises with a certified library of open source software that encompasses hundreds of the most popular open source packages via OpenLogic Exchange (OLEX), a free web site where companies can find, research, and download certified, enterprise-ready open source packages on demand. With the broadest open source coverage in the industry, OpenLogic offers indemnification; updates; and enterprise-grade technical support backed by the OpenLogic Expert Community. OpenLogic also provides solutions for open source governance and to automate the integration and deployment of open source components -- reducing the risk and maximizing the cost savings associated with using open source software. For more on OpenLogic, go to www.openlogic.com.

  

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