Still speaking 'on behalf' of Free/Open Source software (FOSS)
Summary: Companies with a history of FOSS bashing are presenting themselves as representatives of FOSS
Last year we wrote about some relatively new entity called WhiteSource spreading FUD against FOSS. It is now running something called "Open Source Usage Practices Survey" [1] while presenting itself as "a leading provider of automated tools for open-source license compliance and security risk management" (misleading).
WhiteSource has nothing to do with Open Source, it is just exploiting FOSS and uses fear of FOSS to make money. It is similar to Microsoft-tied entities like
Black Duck, which is also claiming to be running a survey under the banner "Future of Open Source" (
we showed what it really is about). The only new (ish) thing here is the
involvement of another entity, North Bridge. To quote the press release: "North Bridge Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm, together with Black Duck Software, the trusted partner for open source software adoption, management and governance, will unveil the findings of the eighth annual Future of Open Source survey during a webinar, “2014 Future of Open Source Survey Results Revealed,” scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd, at 2 p.m. ET."
So later this week we will be told what to think about FOSS based on a proprietary software company and a financial firm. How apt. This is becoming a real issue and more journalists should look into it. Since real journalism is dying whereas corporate press is thriving, it is likely that many sites will just parrot whatever Black Duck says.
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