The document outlines Jonathan Le Lous's insights on the FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) ecosystem, highlighting its complexity and the diverse actors involved such as service providers, users, and editors. It emphasizes the ethical considerations and cooperative dynamics in free software and open source, as well as the necessity of income for software development. Additionally, the document discusses the roles and contributions of IT service providers, editors, and the market demands of FLOSS communities.

1. FLOSS Ecosystem

2. Jonathan Le Lous
Head of innovation (CSO)
Alter Way
~
Board member
April
(First Free Software non-profit organisation in France)
~
PhD in Management (strategy)
Toulouse University

3. PhD work
● Research Management Center
● IT service providers & open source
● Qualitative approach
● Actor-Network theory
● 51 interviews
● End-work in second semester of 2012

4. Open source & Free Software
- Friends ? No !?... but close cousins -
Free software :
We work together with an
ethic approach. Licensing
protect this ethic.
Open Source :
Coopetition.
Licensing protect
against
opportunistic business
behavior

5. Business vs Ethic
Private vs Publics Goods
Bad IT service provider vs Friendly Editor
Shadow vs White
Not so easy !

6. Floss: complex ecosystem
- Many organizations forms -
Non-profit, business, CIO, administration, university,
school, free workers...
<=>
contradictory objectives and approach

7. Five actors system
IT service
providers
Users
Editor
Communities Software

8. Floss communities
Virtual practical communities
Two levels:
Ethic Yes we trust !
Yes we can ! Technical

9. Users
● User is not only a customer
● User is not necessarily a free software friend
● User can choose to be a customer only if
necessary
● Users are demanding (free of charge !)
Thus, free software users are...normal !

10. Software
Software is like a teenager : it's independent (and
capricious) !
Extrinsic Licensing
Notoriety
Diffusion
Ergonomics
Functionalities Intrinsic
Language
Contribution governance

11. IT Service providers
Floss are not business models,
they are software development models
● Floss require incomes to develop software
● Service is one of them but not the only one !
Ex: advertising, sponsoring, free contribution, paid contribution...
● Traditional actors of service are IT service providers

12. How do they contribute ?
● Service providers contribute poorly in software
development because they have three
categories of intervention :
● Selection
● Adaptation (basics and plug-in)
● Support to use

13. But...they consolidate the market
Communication
Marketing
Events
NGO sponsoring
Commercial
Customers interactions

14. Editor (company)
● Editor is not natural in Free software approach
● Editor appeared when it was necessary to
develop a customer/market/business vision
(CRM, ERP....)
● Editor is an IT service provider specialized in
software integration and support....
...But it is in charge of software roadmap and
development

15. Editor is a hard work !
ethics
free access Community Competition
demands ISP

16. Any question... ?
...Hum...Not at the same time, please....
jonathan.lelous@alterway.fr
Skype: jonathan.lelous
Twitter / identi.ca: JollFr
Blog : http://blog.itnservice.net/