LD.
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Why I do Open Source
(This was inspired by Andres Almiray)
I did not have a lot of exposure to Open Source software during my formative computing years. I come from a Classic Mac OS (I saw the last few releases of 7) background and was blissfully ignorant to Linux. The move to OS X exposed me to a plethora of previously unavailable software and during this time I was becoming interested in coding. As a student surrounded by other “Computer Scientists” who were interested in anything but coding, my only real available avenue for growth was to participate in virtual communities of developers.
While it wasn’t an intentional move, the ideals and general culture of typical open source developer communities resonate very naturally with me (open information, need before greed etc). Also, I am attracted to the artistic side of writing software as opposed to just being in it for the utility. In my experience (which granted isn’t vast) you can find extremely talented people who are true artists, not just laborers, gathered around open source projects. If you are putting your work up in front of these people then you are forcing yourself to improve, and to me that is what it’s about.
I am sure not all Open Source Software is of a high calibre, but I bet you that in almost every case that man hour for man hour an open source project will trump a closed commercial project in terms of quality almost every time. If you want to improve your skills, hang out with the best around.
Apart from this self interested reason, I also enjoy creating software that other people use. There is not much better than getting an email from someone you don’t know and them thanking you for the hours you put into something because it has helped them achieve something.
Posted: Jan 26th, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
Tags: #software
