Open Source Empowers Me

Last month, we conducted a poll asking how open source might have enriched your life. We got a great response. Over 150 people answered, and the comments they left hinted at the personal impact open source has on individuals.

The answers we supplied were slanted towards personal growth or transformation, but "Other" got the most votes, almost twice as many as "Learned a new skill," and more than double "It renewed my faith in humanity." So if open source hadn't enriched someone by helping them "create something of value," or in making them “more open to sharing ideas and opinions," what had it done for them?

The "other" comments were about the power and the freedom open source software gave the respondents. "It empowers me," was not one of our choices, but if it had been, it would have won. Open source made new things possible for more people. One commenter said, "Open soruce technologies give me freedom...I was the prisoner of proprietary technologies for many years...open source gives me [options] a free choice."