The Register has a summary of a survey done by Sourceforge which reveals that most open source programmers are professionals employed in a corporate environment: ‘…The chief motivations for donating time and effort to the open source community are varied, but include professional advancement; the need for mental stimulation; a personal belief that software ought to be open (not necessarily free); a chance to acquire new skills or refine existing ones; and practical needs for code which isn’t commercially available…’