LINUX FOUNDATION RESEARCH

We’re investigating the impact of open source collaboration to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

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About LF Research

LF Research publishes actionable and decision-useful insights into open source software, hardware, standards, and data based on empirical research methodologies. Through leveraging community networks, project databases, surveys, and qualitative findings, and through its commitment to best practices in primary research, Linux Foundation Research is the definitive home for data-driven insights into open source for the benefit of governments, enterprises, and society at large.

ROI for Open Source Software Contribution

What is the benefit of contributing to open source? In this study, LF Research has tackled this question through the analysis of results from a survey and quantitative model on contribution ROI. 

 

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Participate in Our Research

Join the LF Research Forum and participate in our surveys and interviews to give back to your community and earn events & training discounts!

 

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Interested in conducting research?

Review our prospectus for more information, and email us at research@linuxfoundation.org

 

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Open Source Maintainers

Download Report
The software that powers so much of our technology infrastructure would not be possible without the individuals who maintain them. To understand more about this group of individuals, how maintainers become maintainers, and to capture their experiences, observations, and success stories, the Linux Foundation interviewed some of the community’s most influential maintainers.
 
In this research project, interviewees shared their best practices to balance the growth of a healthy software community with their own lives. Forty-one practices were collected throughout the interviews, including using inclusive language, providing radical transparency, prioritizing and formalizing documentation processes, ensuring there are regular funding sources, and pairing mentoring with diversity efforts. Read the report for the full list of best practices!
 
Author: Alex Salkever, Linux Foundation Research
With a foreword by Shuah Khan, Fellow, The Linux Foundation
 
DOI: 10.70828/LDDJ8886

Our Team

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