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Optaros Free and Open Source Software Policy

Optaros employees´ work involves integrating and assembling software components available from the free and open source software (FOSS) communities, as well as developing software ourselves, to deliver client solutions. Our most important commitment is always to our clients and to the business of Optaros.

1. Software You Develop for Optaros

   Consistent with our Employee Nondisclosure, Non-solicitation, and Developments Agreement, all software and documentation that you develop as part of your work for Optaros is owned by Optaros. Optaros may license or transfer your work product to third parties such as our clients and maintainers and users of FOSS projects.

2. Understand FOSS Licenses

   All software from FOSS projects should have a license that describes the terms of use of that software. You have an obligation to understand the license terms applicable to any FOSS package you want to use and the implications of those terms on your project at Optaros. This is true for all FOSS projects, regardless of whether you want to use some fragment/component of the FOSS project, or the FOSS project in its entirety. Please confirm your intended use of software from a FOSS project with your project manager or practice leader and the Optaros Open Source Review Board. Use of an already-approved FOSS project with a different Optaros project or customer, or use in a different manner, should be reviewed with your project manager or practice leader and the Optaros Open Source Review Board.

3. Respect FOSS Licenses

   Any work you do with software from FOSS projects (e.g. use, changes and additions) is governed by the terms of the license that applies to that software. Optaros, Inc. employees will respect such licenses at all times in their use of the software, and will take the steps necessary to comply with the license terms, including, just as a few examples, the maintenance of copyright notices and other notices, any source code publication and distribution requirements, documentation requirements, and other such terms of use.

4. Contribute back to the Community what is the Community´s

   You should plan to contribute any development on a FOSS project (e.g., bug fixes, enhancements, modifications) back to the project's sponsors. Contributions you make may not be limited to software, but could include documentation (e.g., reference and how-to), translations, etc. Optaros will work with FOSS project sponsors to follow their procedures for contribution submissions, including assignment of ownership. FOSS projects are under no obligations to accept any changes Optaros employees make, so we should do our best to make contributions that are acceptable to the FOSS projects with whom we work. For example, contributions should always be made following the FOSS project's style and coding guidelines. Our goal is to minimize any forking of FOSS project code, as this is the most engineering-expedient solution for us and our clients, and the FOSS project itself.

5. Optaros-Sponsored FOSS Projects

   As we deliver client solutions, we will develop original work at Optaros that may not fit directly into an existing FOSS project, but would otherwise be useful to a broader community. In such cases we may publish the work and license it using an appropriate FOSS license, and work to build a community around it. We may submit it as a subproject of an existing FOSS effort, or it could be a standalone endeavor.

   The decision about what software is licensed into such Optaros-sponsored communities will be made by the Optaros Open Source Review Board in cooperation with the developers.

6. Optaros Employee Community Commitment

   Every consultant has “bench” time when they are not working on a customer solution. Free and open source software forms the building blocks of our solutions for our clients. The more familiar you are with particular FOSS projects and tool sets, the better we can deliver solutions to our customers within our practices. To that end, it is expected you will spend at least 10% (but no more than 20%) of your work at Optaros directly participating in relevant FOSS communities. These relevant projects could be outside projects or Optaros-sponsored FOSS projects.

7. Original Software You Already Own

   You identified the software you owned before you joined Optaros in your Employee Developments Agreement. You are obviously free to choose how you license such software and it is your responsibility. Any such software that you privately hold, i.e., that which is not licensed under a FOSS license, must be cleared with a company executive before it is used in work relating to Optaros, Inc.

8. Extracurricular Work

   Developing software for hire outside of Optaros needs to be cleared with the CEO or their designee. Developing your own software projects that you privately hold on your time and equipment needs to be cleared with your manager in the context of your obligations to assign the software you develop to Optaros and the subject matter of the project you want to work on. Developing your own new software projects on your own time and equipment that is licensed as FOSS is likely to be acceptable, but please confirm this work with the Optaros Open Source Review Board. Likewise, participating in an existing FOSS community on your own time and equipment is likely to be acceptable, but we ask that you confirm the work with the Optaros Open Source Review Board.

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