Jun
23
What Open Source Is (and is not)
Filed Under SkyBlueCanvas CMS
I have been working on open source projects for almost as long as I have been a programmer. In the course of my career and my work on SkyBlueCanvas and WYMeditor, I have interacted and talked with a lot of people about open source. There are a lot of misconceptions about what Open Source is and is not.
Yesterday, a friend of mine, who is also a programmer, sent me the following text. I don’t know the original source but it is very good so I thought I would re-post it. If I am able to find the original source I will post a credit and link.
Open source is:
- A means to encourage software innovation among diverse groups of programmers
- A policy of open inspection and analysis of source code, both to
educate and provide a means for constructive criticism - A means by which programmers can “scratch their itch” for mental
stimulation while at the same time solving computing problems that are
frequently applicable even to non-technical users - Free, both intellectually and in terms of cost
Open source is not:
- A way to get commercial-quality support at no charge
- A free-for-all forum to ask for pie-in-the-sky software features and
expect them to be implemented as requested and with no delay - An invitation to harass and otherwise frustrate a small and dedicated
development staff because they didn’t do what you wanted
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