LAKE TAHOE and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit advancing professional open source management for mass collaboration, has released a free electronic publication, Open Source Software Basics, providing an overview of open source management principles based on The Linux Foundation's work with more than 300 companies, from startups to the world's largest corporations.


The publication features content from the LFC210 - Fundamentals of Professional Open Source Management training course. This course has been designed to help individuals in roles that touch open source, including business executives, the legal team, software architects, software developers, software maintainers and product managers, understand the key aspects of the other roles.

Topics in this free publication include:

What is Open Source Software (OSS)?
Why do companies use OSS?
Why is OSS faster, lower cost and more flexible?
Operational challenges to using OSS
OSS licenses

The publication and course were developed in conjunction with The Linux Foundation Consulting Services Team, which brings decades of industry experience to help organizations get results from using, developing, contributing, and commercializing open source software.


"Organizations have begun to realize that as they adopt more open source software, they need to establish processes for everything from selecting software, to deploying it, to ensuring license compliance," said Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin. "The benefits of adopting and contributing back to open source are immense, but more education is required to fully realize those advantages. Initiatives such as the Open Source Software Basics publication are part of The Linux Foundation's effort to increase accessibility to such education."

Open Source Software Basics is available for free download now. Those wishing to engage in further learning, may enroll for the online, self-paced LFC210 - Fundamentals of Professional Open Source Management course for $179.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

Startup TechWire | Reporting on business, innovation, and education for America's vibrant startup community | David Menzies | 919-274-6862 | Writer and Public Relations Consultant | Editor StartupTechWire.com | [email protected]