How does Open Source happen?

[cfree220]

I guess this is the best section to post this. Forgive me if I'm wrong.

I've been using Ubuntu for a couple months now, and the more I use it the more impressed I become with the amount of work that goes into it.

I paid about 80 bucks for my copy of Windows (educational retailer price). Some people spend several hundred dollars on Vista Ultimate. Having used Ultimate extensively, I've gotta say that Ubuntu iss the superior operating system. This makes me wonder how it is that such a good operating system could be developed and distributed for free? Perhaps my manner of thinking is impaired by a decade of using closed source software, but it seems to me that there must be some sort of cash flow. And yet there are no advertisements on any of the Ubuntu websites or within the OS. Do developers receive any sort of monetary compensation for their contributions to the open source community, or is Linux literally a sort of community hobby?

[mamamia88]

an extremely generous billionaire and taking bits and pieces from other distros

[SunnyRabbiera]

Open source is funded as both as a hobby project and a commercial product.
Most open source software is funded by donations and independent developers who work on linux apps for fun.

[Bakon Jarser]

Distros like ubuntu and red hat sell support subscriptions. Big companies like having someone to call when things go wrong and are willing to pay lots of money for it. Ubuntu is currently losing money but expects to be solvent in the next year or two I believe.

[cfree220]

Can you get Red Hat without a support subscription?

[Simian Man]

Can you get Red Hat without a support subscription?

Yes but they do not distribute binaries. You can compile it yourself or get it through CentOS.

[issih]

I don't think you can get Red hat enterprise edition exactly, but there is CentOS, which is basically the same thing.

As for home use distributions, fedora is red hat's community based distro.

(edit - beaten to it )

[jelle_]

Do developers receive any sort of monetary compensation for their contributions to the open source community, or is Linux literally a sort of community hobby?


i think a good os is enough compensation

[ubuntu27]

Check out this related thread:

Who pays for Free software development?

[Simian Man]

Red Hat and Novell are both profitable companies that support many open source projects. Other companies with invested interest in Linux like IBM and Intel pay people to work on the important bits like the kernel and X.org.

Most of the desktop applications, however, are maintained by volunteers and hobbyists.