The Nature of Open Source

Or perhaps I should say, the changing nature of open source. The open source movement really traces its roots back to the "release" of UNIX from Bell Labs in the 1970's and the subsequent explosion both of the OS and its attendant technologies (the C programming language, for one). Here was where the tinkerer's spirit of sharing was really in its nascent state in the tech industry.

The spirit of this sharing influenced the creation in 1984 of the GNU Project, giving rise to a much more radical concept that all software should be free. Linux, the kernel that eventually won out over the Mach-based Hurd, saw a meteoritic rise in the late 1990's that propelled the term "open source" into true buzz word status. In the 2000's every manner of individual and company has clamored to rally around its banner. Even Microsoft was been forced to grudgingly accept the momentum of open source in the industry, though they secretly hate it.

The result has been truly amazing: I cannot think of a category of software that does not exist today as an open source project. In my day-to-day work mainly as a Java programmer, I cannot imagine how I could live without the myriad of wonderful little projects that solve problems so I don't have to--whether it's connecting to Windows shared folders in Java or running a Tomcat server on my desktop, it's all there and freely downloadable from the Web.

So why am I feeling misgivings about the current state of open source? Because success brings change, and not necessarily for the better. Amid the rampant hype, half-baked business models, and corporate sponsorship, I wonder if the true spirit of open source has gotten lost: the spirit of the tinkerer just sharing something cool. In the industry there are still guys (and gals) like that. I just hope they aren't drowned out by all the opportunists.