We exist in order to align the needs and resources of corporate, government and other organizational software users with the benefits and needs of the open source development community. In our experience as corporate information executives, we have been consistently impressed with the quality, responsiveness, security, dedication and creativity of open source software and open source developers. Moreover, we know that we can actually see, modify and, in this sense, "own" the software we have "bought".

Once we became convinced of the great benefits of open source software and cooperative development, we recognized there were problems with the financial models of many open source software projects. The products provided generally higher core quality and technical security but frequently lacked the financial security and "fit and finish" necessary in the corporate environment.

We need a different, more subtle yet powerful business model -- one where the consumers of the software recognize it as an enabling tool and not a product for sale. We need a model where consumers of software directly support the development of the software because it makes them more profitable and efficient and not because they are held hostage to its use, end-of-life status and licensing structure. This unexpected confluence of opportunity and need has spawned the Open Source Development Corporation business model.