Developers feel they should be paid for open source contributions
A new survey of over 9,500 developers, of whom 4,400 actively participate in open source, finds that 54 percent of respondents feel that individuals should be paid for their open source work.
In fact the study from developer cloud company DigitalOcean finds that only 14 percent of respondents are currently paid for their open source contributions.
There's an interesting age difference too, with 60 percent of those aged 18-25 being in favor of payment, while only 34 percent of those over 55 agree. 47 percent think tech companies should fund the payment of open source contributions, while 25 percent believe project owners or individuals should pay.
"There's no denying that technology played a major role in 2020. However, what we found most inspiring was how the individuals and community behind the code rose to the occasion," says Raman Sharma, VP product and programs marketing at DigitalOcean. "Our survey showed that developers dug deeper into the open source community, participating more actively and contributing to the causes that mattered to them most. Many also questioned the traditions of the past in favor of a more ethically accountable and economically sound ecosystem. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the community and its participants."
Although overall participation in open source was down in 2020, 63 percent of those who actively participated report an increase in their activity. This is down to three factors: 29 percent say they had more free time, 28 percent wanted to use the time to learn, and 15 percent were adamant about contributing to a cause they cared about.
Respondents also report an increased focus on mental health, inclusivity, networking to help others find new jobs, and mentoring to help others learn.
While 59 percent of all respondents believe the open source community is inclusive to people of all demographics, experience levels, and locations, fewer women (46 percent) and non-binary (42 percent) respondents felt this was true than men (62 percent).
The full report is available from the DigitalOcean site.
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