Editing Open-source software (section)

=== Economic/business implications ===
In open-source communities, instead of owning the software produced, the producer owns the development of the evolving software.<ref name=":14">Wynants, M., & Cornelis, J. (Eds.). (2005). ''How open is the future? : Economic, social and cultural scenarios inspired by free and open-source software''. ASP.</ref> In this way, the future of the software is open, making ownership or [[intellectual property]] difficult within OSS.<ref name=":14" /> [[Software license|Licensing]] and branding can prevent others from stealing it, preserving its status as a [[Public good (economics)|public good]].<ref name=":14" /> Open source software can be considered a public good as it is available to everyone and does not decrease in value for others when downloaded by one person.<ref name=":14" /> Open source software is unique in that it becomes more valuable as it is used and contributed to, instead of diminishing the resource. This is explained by concepts such as investment in reputation and [[network effect]]s.<ref name=":14" />

The economic model of open-source software can be explained as developers contribute work to projects, creating public benefits.<ref name=":14" /> Developers choose projects based on the perceived benefits or costs, such as improved reputation or value of the project.<ref name=":14" /> The motivations of developers can come from many different places and reasons, but the important takeaway is that money is not the only or even most important [[incentivisation|incentivization]].<ref name=":14" />

Because economic theory mainly focuses on the consumption of scarce resources, the OSS dynamic can be hard to understand. In OSS, producers become consumers by reaping the rewards of contributing to a project.<ref name=":14" /> For example, a developer becomes well regarded by their peers for a successful contribution to an OSS project.<ref name=":14" /> The social benefits and interactions of OSS are difficult to account for in economic models as well.<ref name=":14" /> Furthermore, the innovation of technology creates constantly changing value discussions and outlooks, making economic model unable to predict social behavior.<ref name=":14" />

Although OSS is theoretically challenging in economic models, it is explainable as a sustainable social activity that requires resources.<ref name=":14" /> These resources include time, money, technology and contributions.<ref name=":14" /> Many developers have used technology funded by organizations such as universities and governments, though these same organizations benefit from the work done by OSS.<ref name=":14" /> As OSS grows, hybrid systems containing OSS and proprietary systems are becoming more common.<ref name=":14" />

Throughout the mid 2000s, more and more tech companies have begun to use OSS.<ref name=":55">{{Cite book |last=Tozzi |first=Christopher |title=For Fun and Profit: A History of the Free and Open Source Software Revolution |publisher=MIT Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-262-34118-9 |location=United States}}</ref> For example, [[Dell|Dell's]] move of selling computers with [[Linux]] already installed.<ref name=":55" /> [[Microsoft]] itself has launched a [[Linux-based operating system]] despite previous animosity with the OSS movement.<ref name=":55" /> Despite these developments, these companies tend to only use OSS for certain purposes, leading to worries that OSS is being taken advantage of by corporations and not given anything in return.<ref name=":55" />