Free-software consulting - Re: Optaros

[Bill Sconce]

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:25:18 -0400
crschmidt at crschmidt.net (Christopher Schmidt) wrote:

> Are there lots of open source consulting firms around?

Yes.  A number of folks on this list do Free-software consulting,
either a little bit or a lot.  And there are quite a few firms which
aren't visible on the list.  I've been using Free software at
every client I've had since about 1998;  the trend is clear
towards more use of Free software, and more gratifyingly, toward
ever more up-front & obvious use of Free software.  (As you noted
in your OP a lot of the early use was guerilla, things like
Apache used "kinda" without management's knowledge.)  That's
changing, and there seems to be more and more interest in
Free software used in daylight.  (Let's see... you're in Mass now,
right?...   :)


> Do they do good things for the community? 

Mixed record, as Ted noted.  There has been the occasional horror
story.  OTOH, that's exactly to be expected - any suppliers
of any service will be of about the same spread of qualities
over the long run.  Especially consultants.   :)   There have
been far more start-ups than survivors (so far), FWIW.

Write to me directly if you'd like details on what I know (and
don't know).  I'll be happy to share.

-Bill