Apache has long-term initiatives under way such as its Harmony J2SE (Java 2 Standard Edition) implementation, Stein noted. Apache also has taken on endeavors that would have been surprising several years ago, such as the Derby database, he said.

Stein cited patents as an issue for open source, particularly in the area of standards. "Standards that have patents in them are going to be very difficult and one of the big areas in the future that are going to cause problems for open source," Stein said.