contribute

I wonder why more open source users do not actively participate in the open source community and become committers or contributors.

After understanding a project's capabilities and roadmap, anyone is able to start directly hacking the source code and contributing useful extensions. Because open source is a distributed, participatory meritocracy, the upside benefit is high and the barrier to entry is low—you don't have to move, be employed by a Valley startup, give up your day job, or wait to obtain a 4 years for a degree. » Read more

After almost three decades of development, open source software has firmly crossed over into mainstream use. Companies understand the unique value derived from software developed through open communities and are welcoming its use in mission critical settings throughout the enterprise. » Read more

The opensource.com team is happy to announce the addition of four new community moderators to our team. You've probably read some of their articles on the site. And because they are so passionate about doing things the open source way and sharing their stories, we've upgraded their open source status. » Read more

It's a new year, with new opportunities for the open source way to change and innovate life, education, government, business, health, and law. For each of us as individuals, 2013 is a chance to resolve to be more open. Check out these ways to start this New Year's resolution off right, and in the comments below tell us how you plan to practice openness. » Read more

Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.

Okay, that has nothing to do with the subject of this post, but when I tweeted out a request for suggestions for an opening line, that was the most interesting response (thank you, @kantrn). I got others that were a lot more helpful (thank you, @justinlilly)—that's the power of community, right? » Read more

Think of the last time you walked up to a complete stranger, stuck out your hand and said, “Hi, my name is …” Depending on how often you do that, it was probably a scary moment. Before you walked up to the person, you had to steel your nerves, decide what you were going to say, and then approach them.

Joining an open source software project is a bit like that. You have to send a mail to a huge list of random people. Or file a bugzilla bug that goes to a ton of random people. » Read more

I’ve written before about the genuine renaissance open source software represents and the vast implications that openness provides. I’ve admitted that computer science, based on its relative unwillingness to share great ideas, has lagged behind other hard sciences in its understanding of how and where value is created. » Read more

Netflix gets it. They understand the power of open source.

Kevin McEntee, VP of Systems & ECommerce Engineering at Netflix wrote a blog post about how Netflix does more than just consume open source. McEntee highlights three key components of the open source way that typically equate to success. He doesn't refer to them this clearly, but the three components he's really talking about are: » Read more

Find out the answer on Thursday, October 21 at 1:00pm (EDT) at the Open Your World webcast on "Good Faith Collaboration at Wikipedia" featuring Joseph Reagle. Register now, seating is limited.

Dave Cole, Senior Advisor to the CIO of the Executive Office of the President, presented an awesome keynote to more than 3,000 attendees at DrupalCon San Francisco 2010 on April 21. His keynote was about open source in government, and he talked about how whitehouse.gov has become a platform to foster citizen participation. Although I found the technology part interesting, it was the philosophy and open source principles that Dave talked about that are enabling the executive branch of the United States government to be more open and transparent. » Read more