6. Industrial strategies, business and non-business models

The aim of this section is to introduce the reader to the main commercial and non-commercial industrial models for free software activities, and to summarize socio-economic research on the subject. Recent investments by industrial players in the field should not be misleading: the social, non-profit production of free software remains a fundamental and lasting element of its existence. Particular attention should therefore be paid to 6.3 . The business models and economic impact of free software have only relatively recently attracted the attention of sociologists and economists. The Free / Open Source Research...