Abstract :
Open source software has enabled large system integrators to increase their profits through cost savings and reach more customers due to flexible pricing. This has upset existing ecosystems and shuffled structural relationships, resulting in the emergence of firms providing consulting services to open source projects. This new breed of service firm in turn lives or dies by its ability to recruit and retain appropriate talent. For such talent, in particular for software developers, life has become more difficult and exciting at once. Developers face new career prospects and paths, since their formal position in an open source project, in addition to their experience and capabilities, determines their value to an employer. Economically rational developers strive to become commiters to high-profile open source projects to further their careers, which in turn generates more recognition, independence, and job security
Keywords :
DP industry; profitability; public domain software; consulting services; job security; open source software economic motivation; profitability; software cost savings; software development management; software ecosystem; stakeholder perspective; Boosting; Business; Companies; Costs; Ecosystems; Environmental economics; Hardware; Licenses; Open source software; Web server; open source software; software development;
