How To Sponsor an Open Source Sprint

Esther Schindler writes "Does your favorite open source project need just a little extra functionality? As Esther Schindler explains in this IT World article, your company can encourage the developers to add the features you've been yearning for — for far, far less money than you imagine. She interviews companies who have sponsored 'code-a-thons' for Drupal, Plone, simwiddy, and a set of applications for British Telecom, and provides specific pointers. From the article: 'To ensure that the event happens and that it meets its goals, you must connect with the right members of the community and motivate them to work with you. "It's not like these people are paid to work for your interests," points out Brightcove's Whatcott. If your business already has project committers on its staff, then it's just a matter of leveraging existing relationships. But, says Stahl, "Someone less 'core' in the community might well have a harder time.'"'

Comments

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[Brian Gordon]

Courting OSS developers is good when you do it like Google: give them exciting tools and let them solve their own problems with it. Problems get solved, code gets written, and Google gets free work done!

But developers have no reason to just work for someone for free.

your company can encourage the developers to add the features you've been yearning for â" for far, far less money than you imagine

This should never happen in a board meeting: "We need feature X but we can't afford it so let's get someone to do it for free". Open source developers will develop your platform to develop the features they want. It happens naturally; you can't just buy everyone pizza and sit them down and tell them to get to work.

Will code for Pizza

[Archangel Michael]

you can't just buy everyone pizza and sit them down and tell them to get to work.

Have you seen the job situation? Nearly 10% Unemployment!

The glamor days of the DOTCOM era are long ago gone. I know a few code monkeys who'd code for free if it meant getting a chance at a real paying job, and to get a pizza for dinner.