5 things you should know about the philosophy of open source

When you hear the terms ‘open source’, you always think about computer software. Though the term is mostly used in the computer industry, it is also applicable in other parts of our lives. Here are some interesting things you should know about the open source philosophy.

1. The open source philosophy has been around for a long time now. It all started with the hackers who spent hours writing codes and shared it with others instead of selling them. They wanted people to learn and improve it. This sharing of ideas is open source. Wikipedia, for example, uses open source. The information is available for everyone to share and anyone can edit it.

2. The open source philosophy is used in different markets including agriculture, health, politics, and other sectors. Blogging can also be considered to be open source. People take the time to write about something not always to gain financial advantage. Other readers can comment on it and the writer replies to those comments. There is share of ideas.

3. Open source philosophy promotes the concept of sharing. People share the ideas with others as they believe that collective intelligence is stronger than single contribution.

4. Stress and negative energy affect our lives. Open source can create hopeful and resilient minds and lower our stress levels. It can bring harmony to life. Open source philosophy makes you think beyond the monetary gain and help the community to achieve something better.

5. With open source philosophy, free service business models can be developed. For example, they can allow people to buy a life saving medicine at a low cost rather than pay a high price for it.

Currently, the big businesses are trying to prevent the licensing of Avastin which is used to treat blindness in the UK. It will cost only £50 per dose. They are forcing people to buy Lucentis, instead, that is licensed differently and costs £750 a dose. Open source movement is giving us viable alternatives.

There are some issues concerning the open source licensing. Many people use the other’s hard work as their own. This is because the open source licensing doesn’t define the ownership rights clearly. Credits must be given to everyone contributing to the idea.

The open source is changing the way people think. They are seeing benefits beyond monetary rewards. It will soon change our society for good.