There has been a proliferation in Open Source Software (OSS) adoption over the past decade, with particular momentum in the last 3 years. Much of the challenge in convincing companies and individuals to adopt OSS lies in demystifying deep-seated stereotypes that have typically framed OSS as an affront to closed source alternatives. It goes something like this…

How could a project run by a geek in his (gender-stereotyping is rife in the OSS world) spare time, updated on an ad-hoc basis, free for all to use and manipulate (even repackage and resell!), housed on a pre-Web 2.0 site, how could this possibly be anything other than a hobby at best?

Ok, I exaggerate, but regardless, these fears and concerns do exist and do contribute to an OSS sub culture; an online currency of jokes and jibes coupled with more serious aspirations to the ideals of OSS. Part of this culture has filtered through to an increasingly wide range of tech-oriented comic strips. It has even been known to capture the imagination of old favourites as you’ll see below.

What the following list represents is a range of humorous, satirical and sometimes foreboding takes on a burgeoning industry. The list is far from comprehensive, so please do share your favourite comics in the comment section below and we’ll be happy to update this post accordingly. Enjoy!

1. “So You Don’t Need To Pay?”

Author: Mike Krahulik & Jerrry Holkins | Year: 2002 | Source: Penny Arcade

2. “The GPL Must Be Stopped”

Author: Randall Munroe | Year: 2007 | Source: XKCD

3. “Open Source Software For Everything”

Author: Scott Adams | Year: 2007 | Source: Dilbert in SFGate.com

4. Fear of Open Source

Author: Unknown | Year: Unknown | Source: Unknown

5. Cutting Costs For Enterprise

Author: TIBCO | Year: Unknown | Source: Greg the Architect

6. “It’s Not Really Free”

Author: TIBCO | Year: Unknown | Source: Greg the Architect

7. FOSS Windows

Author: Salvatore Iovene | Year: 2009 | Source: Geek Hero Comic

8. Everything In The Name Of Linux

Author: Salvatore Iovene | Year: 2009 | Source: Geek Hero Comic

9. Open(-Source) Relationship

Author: Rob Cottingham | Year: Unknown | Source: Social Signal

10. To Be Or Not To Be

Author: Satoshi Kambayashi | Year: 2009 | Source: Guardian Online

11. “Software That Works”

Author: Randall Munroe| Year: 2010 | Source: XKCD

12. “Nothing More Than A Religion”

Author: Oliver Widder | Year: 2007 | Source: Geek and Poke

13. “I’m Installing Ubuntu Today”

Author: Scott Johnson | Year: 2007 | Source: Extra Life

14. Do No Evil?

Author: Scott McCloud | Year: 2010 | Source: Google Chrome Book

15. Who Needs Illustrator?

Author: John Bintz | Year: 2007 | Source: Coswell Productions

16. Monetizing the “Free”

Author: Rob Cottingham | Year: 2007 | Source: Social Signal

17. “A Fair, Smart, Safe Place”

Author: Scott McCloud | Year: 2010 | Source: Google Chrome Book

18. Free The Robots

Author: Jorge Cham | Year: 2010 | Source: PhD Comics

19. “Linux Inside”

Author: Mike Krahulik & Jerrry Holkins | Year: 2003 | Source: Penny Arcade

20. “People Have Died From Using It”

Author: J.D. “Illiad” Frazer | Date: 2008 | Source: UserFriendly.org