Free as in free speech...

One of the most common misconceptions about free and open-source software, is that it must cost no money.

Yet , FOSS is not always meant to be free of monetary cost. It's meant to respect the users freedoms, yet it doesn't mean that it will be free of cost. As such, you can expect to have to pay for some FOSS software while expecting to be able to exercise the four freedoms on it.

It's sad to see that at the core of the FOSS philosophy is not monetary gain, but the ability to use the software you acquire(especially the software you pay for) as you see fit to use it. That means that you should get full access to every part of it, even the source code, in order to make it work as you want it to work.

As such, it's on our best interest to be able to make public those changes and to be able to share those changes with others. Any restriction to the users freedoms is to be avoided, since those restrictions don't benefit the user, but the only benefit a few people and restrict the advancement of the software in a way that benefits as much people as possible.

FOSS compliant software is doesn't mean that you can make money out of your work making it. You CAN make money while making FOSS compliant software, and being an active member, of any the communities that make FOSS software. At the end of the day, everyone has to make a living out of what they do.

You make money for working on software, not from the software itself. It means that you need to add code that adds value to the software in order to make money out of it. If you just code thing that already are out, there is no reason for people to pay for the software, or code, you do. That means that no matter if you make a brand new piece of software, or add some code to an existing app, you better make it better for the end user.

At the end, profits and FOSS aren't mutually exclusive.

The Internet as a meeting place...

With the Internet permeating all of lives, and becoming ever more integrated into our daily routines, it's easy forget that it's a tool. As such, it's best used when it enhances our lives and helps us to live a happier and fulfilling one.

The temptation to live our whole lives in the Internet, is one that many have found irresistible. In some ways, the drive to take failure out of lives as something to be avoided at all cost instead of a way of learning, has made many people not just afraid of it. It many cases, some individuals have become incapable of coping with it to the point of being unable to engage in daily life in a normal way.

For some, it was become a refuge where they can do thing without dealing with the consequences of their actions. The relative anonymity that it can still be found on the Internet lets them do some of the things they can't do otherwise.

At the end, many people fail to see that Internet is just a tool that allows people come together and engage with each other. How meaningful, positive and constructive this interactions are, is wholly dependent on how people choose to do so. When critics say that the Internet allows for bad behavior, or it brings negative things to the world, they forget that at the is the people who makes those things happen.

It's easy to blame the Internet, than actually face the fact that people are the ones responsible for their actions. We need to take our responsibility on how we use the Internet, and make sure to make responsible others for their actions as well. After all, the Internet is becoming a public square, where we all come together for our end and we should do so by respecting all others if we expect respect for ourselves.

As a public square, there is a space for everyone with our  different interests and ideas. There will be places where some groups in particular will congregate, and some that will be more open to a wider audience. This natural flow should be allowed to happen, since that's part of human nature.

Yet, let's not forget that what we do in the Internet should be just a fraction of our life as a whole. So, live your whole life as fully as you can.

Making a living with open source is possible...

In a way this article is right, the money isn't in open source. Yet, the money is on how you use open source and the services around it.

As with most businesses, the money isn't on the things you base your business on. The money is on the service you build around it, or the value you add to whatever you are selling.

Money isn't on open source itself, but you can make money with open source. One can see open source as a tool to make money with, rather than what will make you money in itself. And it can be seen as an ethical tool to use, since it allows to a greater degree of collaboration and it respects the freedom of the costumers.

Most importantly, open source is more than a tool to make money with. It can be applied to other fields, without financial gain having to be at the center of it. All depends on what's the final goal of the whoever uses open source for a particular project.

Just seeing to the money making potential of open source is missing the wider picture of how it can impact our lives.

But let's make something clear, making a money with open source isn't bad in itself while the core of the open source stands for is respected. Actually is great that people can make a living using and spreading open source far and wide, making it viable for as many people as possible.

Let's make open source for the people, and by the people. And that means that people need to be able to make a living with open source.

Open source resembles a bazaar, at least in some aspects...

While it's true this post has a valid point, I think that open source is like a bazaar in some ways.

In bazaars vendors, and often the same ones ones who actually make each product, and consumers can interact more directly. Most importantly, more often that interaction can be more meaningful and inclusive in more than one way. The consumer, or the user in the case of case software, can have a more direct impact on the end product.

Yet, the responsibility of still relies on someone. For any business at the bazaar to be successful, it has to be responsible of the quality of the software they produce, and that it fulfills the specifications it was made for.

Open source differs on how it does this, only how things happen are different. While projects begin with a core team, and often remain that way, their nature helps to build communities around projects that people feel that have that something that makes them rally around.

Not every shop in a bazaar is made equal, same goes for open source projects. As such, the road to success for each project is different. All depends on what targets they have, and how they set about to get to them.

Most importantly, there is more than one bazaar of open source projects. Each is different, with its own dynamics depending on the projects and people they attract. Some, are as lively as most bazaars we imagine. Others are more like shopping malls, while others are more like trade shows.

At the end, the bazaars tend to have a structure even if we can not make it out. If you take this view, the bazaar concept does apply to the open source movement like a glove.