I remember JP Morgan putting on a very good show that year in Cardiff, and if memory serves you signed off a meaningful sponsorship sum (#) over coffee in Canary Wharf.

My takeaway from that surprisingly short deal was that with FOSS the real hard part (demonstrating value) is done and dusted long before any money conversations come up.

Most people I have had this conversation with in companies large and small are like Steve above - see the value of FoSS to their business and want to both give something back and more importantly support the producers of an important input to their business.

FOSS does not have and probably cannot have the "money for licenses" business model, but that's not to say there are not decent lines of funding that cannot be tapped.

It's a frustration, yes but both sides are aligned in this.

(#) For various definitions of meaningful I guess.