So you've taken the plunge into Drupal and you know that it's open source. But what does that mean in practice?

Free and Open Source Software means more than just no licensing costs. In fact, it doesn't technically even mean that. Open Source is both a development philosophy and a social philosophy that work together to build better software and better communities.

For example, by being licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) your contributions of to Drupal core and any contributed projects become parts of a "common good" that can be freely shared and re-used, but which cannot be turned into a closed-source product. This helps build trust and a sense of collaboration even if we work for companies that sometimes compete for clients.

This session will introduce the advantages of Open Source development models, and compare Open Source and proprietary consulting models both from the developer/consultant side and from the client side. That includes what it means to work in a trust-based economy rather than a fear-based economy.

We will cover the concepts and principles behind Free Software and Open Source Software, how those impact how code gets written (and what code gets written), and guidelines to keep in mind to maintain your or your business's standing as a good citizen of the open source community. In addition, we will touch briefly on how you may wish to make agreements or contracts with clients so that the work you perform can later benefit both you and the broader community.