5. 2  The user community

As explained in the first section of this module, the role of the free software user community is very important in the paradigm of free software development.

Both the users and the developers who form part of the community collaborate on the maintenance, support and evolution of the application over time, thereby ensuring the cohesion and stability of the project.

Consequently, their participation is essential for securing the project aims and should be considered as such by any money-making organisation seeking to exploit a business opportunity based on the production of free software.

In this sense, the relationship between community and business should be founded on the credibility and transparency of all actions and decisions taken, so that both parties can benefit from the relationship. Not surprisingly, the company's positioning with respect to products based on free software must be well defined and structured to encourage the creation of a community of collaborators around it.

Note that the user community is a dynamic organisation that evolves over time, so it will be necessary to set up management methodologies in order to maintain an optimal relationship. This management includes the establishment of procedures to identify the current status of the community, to assess the quality of contributions to the project by members, and to define legal aspects affecting these contributions.

The following sections will study each of these aspects in turn.