I've created a simple survey to get some data, to turn into a proper post. It should only take about 5 minutes to complete, and requires no private information to participate:
https://goo.gl/forms/4eWaiuTg2pmoVN1I3
Thanks!
The problem I see is that, as that same corporate culture, we're not contributing back to the same projects we use code from so freely, at anywhere close to the same rate.
I asked about doing that, on one project I'm involved in, and was told not to get involved with OSS contributions, because of potential legal/liability issues.
It made me sad.
There are definitely issues on some OSS projects, like inability to reach consensus, and some upstream devs doing things that break stuff for a large group of people, and not caring much about the consequences of some of the technical decisions made.
OSS is awesome, and can also be problematic, all at once. I'm not ready to dismiss it as a whole, though. Some orgs have that approach, and just throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I think it's important to go in with your eyes open, and be aware of the potential risks.
What are we doing to keep the good projects afloat?