Post AwFqbDB0mTkvKEZa3k by djspiewak@fosstodon.org
(DIR) More posts by djspiewak@fosstodon.org
(DIR) Post #AwFqbDB0mTkvKEZa3k by djspiewak@fosstodon.org
2025-07-10T23:58:08Z
1 likes, 3 repeats
One of my coworkers refers to Open Source as “the most incredible thing humanity has ever accomplished.” When he says that, he’s not making a socioeconomic or political statement, nor is he ignoring technical shortcomings. Rather, he is making an observation about how millions of people have created this immense pile of loosely coupled legos that actually all kind of fit together, without any central direction or fiat authority, with the only final arbiter being user adoption.
(DIR) Post #AwFqbI94J8AkjehbE0 by djspiewak@fosstodon.org
2025-07-11T00:00:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I think about this a lot. When he first said this to me, I felt it was a little overly rosy. After all, most decisions in OSS tend to be made by a pretty small cabal of well connected maintainers. But at the end of the day, even maintainers like Linus or Guido would mean nothing without the mandate of the users. Even the ecosystem which gives multiplicative weight and staying power… also only exists because it provides value that justifies its position.
(DIR) Post #AwFqbNjPXRDK3okC48 by djspiewak@fosstodon.org
2025-07-11T00:01:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
In a real sense, OSS is one of the most democratic things humanity has ever done, while also collectively representing far and away the most complex thing it has ever created. That’s actually kind of incredible. The optimism my coworker feels is not about OSS specifically, much less its present state or economics, but about what its existence tells us about Humanity.I find that to be a remarkable thought.
(DIR) Post #AwI9TIIM9aFqKQrmDY by tyil@fedi.tyil.nl
2025-07-19T12:55:31.219Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@djspiewak@fosstodon.org I wonder what his opinion is of free software now!