The Sociability of Free Software: A GNU Look at Free Software Identified Businesses as Social Entrepreneurships

Do companies which adhere to a Free Software philosophy have business practices in common with the Open Source companies with which they are often grouped, or do they have more in common with social entrepreneurships? This research addresses the gap in the literature surrounding companies which identify with the values of the Free Software movement. The research is based on seven case studies and focuses on smaller companies rather than well-known Open Source firms. The contents of this book were previously published as a master's thesis for the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands. A free electronic version of this paper is also available at http://ann.barcomb.org