Weakening Economy Good for Open Source, Panel Claims

SAN FRANCISCO—Experience has shown a weakening U.S. economy would be good for open source, as a shortage of cash is usually a major catalyst for innovation, particularly around open-source applications, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu Linux, said at the annual Open Source Business Conference here March 25. Roger Burkhardt, president and CEO of open-source database firm […]

Written By
thumbnail
Peter Galli
Peter Galli
Mar 26, 2008
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

SAN FRANCISCO—Experience has shown a
weakening U.S. economy would be good for open source, as a shortage
of cash is usually a major catalyst for innovation, particularly
around open-source applications, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu
Linux, said at the annual Open Source Business Conference here March 25.

Roger Burkhardt, president and CEO of
open-source database firm Ingres, agreed, noting that as the economy slows,
budgets tighten and people have to do more with less.  Also
concurring was Zak Olaf, vice president of products at MySQL, who said the
lower cost of open source is part of its appeal in an economic climate such
as the current one.

They were all speaking on a panel titled “The Future of Open Source:
Exploring the Investments, Innovations, Applications, Opportunities and
Threats.”  They were also responding to the findings of North Bridge
Venture Partners’ annual “Future of Open Source” survey, which found that 81 percent
of respondents thought economic turbulence is good for open source.

Read the full story on eWEEK.com. 

 

Recommended for you...

Datadog Intros MCP Server for Secure AI Observability
Luis Millares
Mar 9, 2026
Security Leaders Warn of Cyber Risks Tied to Iran Conflict
David Curry
Mar 9, 2026
Oracle Faces Layoffs Amid Costly AI Push
DataDome Adjusts Partner Program to Build Ecosystem
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.