You love using Open Source Software. It's done right by you and now you want to contribute back. You get your patch all ready and… the boss says no! Don't feel alone. Enterprises everywhere are trying to figure this out. I'll walk you through what actually risks exist to businesses and how you can help manage them. Maybe armed with some information your boss will say... yes!

1. Help!
I want to contribute to an Open
Source project but my boss says
no.
Patrick McFadin
Chief Evangelist for Apache Cassandra
@PatrickMcFadin

2. Bio
! OSS contributor since 1995
! University advocate for OSS
! Ran a OSS services company
! Lived the corp life
! Now at DataStax
Crusher of Raspberry Pi’s !

3. Can I contribute to an open source
project?

4. Mmm yeah. We just use
OSS.

5. Why can’t I contribute???

6. F U D

7. Fear
Uncertainty
Doubt

8. Open Source in business
! Black Duck OSS Survey
https://www.blackducksoftware.com/news/releases/seventy-eight-percent-companies-run-open-source-yet-many-lack-formal-policies-manage
Now the exception!
64% Participate in OSS projects!

9. Why it's bad for business?
! Talent loss
! Patent loss

10. Patent loss?
Apache License 2.0
Mozilla Public License 2.0
GNU General Public License 3.0
If you contribute code to…
Implicit grant of license on any
patented work contributed.
You grant a license to any
infringing work regardless if that
was what you modified.

11. Contribution License Agreements
! Used by open source projects
! Protection of both parties
! Contributor has the right to grant rights

13. Why is OSS contribution
good for business?

14. Recruitment

15. Vendor lock-in mitigation

16. Say in direction

17. Types of contributions
Helping on
mailing lists
Bug fixes FeaturesDocs
Risk to the Business

18. Be a part of the community

19. Work with an OSS company

20. Making the case

21. Find an ally in HR ! Advocate for both sides
! Do you really want to learn all this
stuff?

22. Proprietary Information Agreement
! aka Non-Disclosure Agreement
! Tailor for OSS contributions
! Everyone is protected

23. Case studies

24. Netflix
! Big Data
! Build and Delivery Tools
! Common Runtime Services &
Libraries
! Data Persistence
! Insight, Reliability and Performance
! Security
Cannot build Netflix from these!

25. Want to do this full time?

26. Unnamed Paranoid Company
! Contribute anything to OSS?
! Couldn’t get key hires based on NO policy
! Competitor started luring based on open OSS policy

27. Companies with any stake in
technology not contributing to OSS
are at a distinct competitive
disadvantage.
- Patrick McFadin 2015 OSCON

28. Thanks and happy contributing!
Twitter me: @PatrickMcFadin