Is supporting OSS considered a bad thing when applying for a job?

[Jay_Bee]

If for example, you are writing a job application for a company that makes proprietary software, and you attach your CV, what do you think, is supporting open source and free software considered a bad thing in your CV?
Would someone with same qualifications as you, but who doesn't support OSS, get the job?
Should the person applying for the job hide the enthusiasm with Linux and open source?

[NightwishFan]

Honestly it all depends. I assume it wouldn't matter. If it were the case that I would not get hired because I like Linux than I would not take the job. Thats me however. I have heard nothing about someone not being hired for that but knowing this world I can assure you it has happened.

Edit: If you choose to deny all involvement with us don't worry we wont hate you. =)

[Hallvor]

If for example, you are writing a job application for a company that makes proprietary software, and you attach your CV, what do you think, is supporting open source and free software considered a bad thing in your CV?
Would someone with same qualifications as you, but who doesn't support OSS, get the job?
Should the person applying for the job hide the enthusiasm with Linux and open source?

Why would you write that in your CV at all? If it`s not relevant for your job, I can`t see why you should write it.

[marimo]

I think any company that can "hate" OSS to the extend of not hiring anyone who supports it is not worth working for. The likelihood of being frustrated is very high. When choosing a career, it not just about the salary, but the environment as well, how they respect your opinion. So, if you really like OSS, then its actually better to mention it if you suspect they may cringe at the mention of it.

However, from experience, most proprietary software companies also use OSS. Infact, they cant run away from it. One way or the other, they will be forced to interact with it, directly or indirectly.

[angryfirelord]

It depends. If you say, "I like using OSS", then that's not relevant. Now if you said, "I've setup and maintained several LAMP installs" or "I've worked on a C++ open-source project for three months", then that's better. Obviously you'll have to be a bit more detailed, but if you can show that you've gained additional experience and knowledge from using OSS, then I see no reason why they would reject you for that.

[popch]

is supporting open source and free software considered a bad thing in your CV?

What do you mean by 'supporting' free software? Just telling anyone and her uncle hat you like the idea, or paying for free software, or writing it?

[macogw]

If you're applying to be a programmer and can say "and hey I have patches in x, y, and z popular open source programs" that cannot possibly look bad. If you're listing that you have experience with Linux, Apache2, PHP, Postgresql, etc. that also can't be bad.

[koenn]

If for example, you are writing a job application for a company that makes proprietary software, and you attach your CV, what do you think, is supporting open source and free software considered a bad thing in your CV?
Would someone with same qualifications as you, but who doesn't support OSS, get the job?
Should the person applying for the job hide the enthusiasm with Linux and open source?

If you have relevant experience that happens to be in or related to open source, you definitely want to mention it, because
1- it's relevant experience
2- if you get interviewed, you might mention it by accident, and it 'll show you tried to hide it. That makes a very bad impression.

If you mention open source in your CV, be ready to answer a question along the lines of
"I see that you use / like / contribute to / ... Linux and some other open source software. We, as a company, produce strictly proprietary software. and we strongly believe our products to be superior to OSS imitations of it. Where do you stand on this, and can you see youself, with your sympathy for OSS, function as an emplpyee in our company ? "

[LaRoza]

I think supporting OSS can be used to show knowledge, desire to learn, and what your hobbies are.

[bomanizer]

I think that this issue is irrelevant when considering most jobs.