Re: Why Google funds open source development?

[Chris DiBona <cdibona gmail com>]

Hi.

1) We like open source.
2) We like open source people, including Gnomers (gnomites? Gnomes?)
3) We use open source.
4) We are open source people.
5) We felt open source needs a little fresh blood now and then. *
6) We felt that there were a lot of students who would work on open
source, if they didn't have to flip burgers.

Hence: Summer of Code.

Chris (Google Open Source Programs Manager)

* not that I mind running into Nat and Miguel at every damn conference
I go to. :-)

On 8/15/05, David Neary <dneary free fr> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Quim Gil wrote:
> > Sorry for the wide topic, but considering thet GNOME has got a Google's
> > Summer of Code fund I think this is an appropriate list to ask.
> 
> It would perhaps have been better to ask Google... ;)
> 
> > Why Google is funding open source development? Why Google is funding
> > GNOME? Just because we are so cool and smart? Just to deduce some taxes?
> 
> Google is a huge consumer of free software - Linux, Apache and Python.
> They have close ties to the Mozilla Foundation, buy advertising space in
> the interface of Firefox, and generally have lots of free software
> advocates working for them.
> 
> AFAIK, the idea is simply to "give something back". The size of the
> budget and the way that it is being executed may be unusual, but the
> idea itself of funding free software development isn't.
> 
> > Has Google given a general explanation? Has Google explained to the
> > GNOME Foundation why is giving us money?
> >
> > All the (very few) infos I've read about the Summer of Code talk about
> > free projects, young developers and money... but they don't mention why
> > Google is funding them.
> 
> I might be way off base with my answer, so I'll maybe let some people
> who know more than me jump in.
> 
> Cheers,
> Dave.
> 
> --
> Dave Neary
> bolsh gimp org
> Lyon, France
> 


-- 
Open Source Program Manager, Google Inc.
Google's Open Source program can be found at http://code.google.com
Personal Weblog: http://dibona.com