Open Source is Not About
Some interesting guidelines for those working in open source, the author then goes into setting good priorities:
Open source is about the opposite of pride. You should never be in the position of treating feedback like unsolicited advice, because the act of publishing IS the solicitation. If you find yourself getting pissed off because someone took time to contact you with a suggestion, ask yourself whether your motivation is really correct.
Never publish source because deep down you want to be congratulated for your cleverness, revered for your impeccable taste and mimicked in your personal style. That’s the path to disappointment, and to being seen (by the people you peevishly and childishly reject) as being a total Grade-A asshole.
The path to peace in open source is to publish because you want to give people an opportunity to express their need to contribute. And in particular, to contribute to a group or cause of their choosing. Many of us are trapped in jobs with mediocre leadership or limited alignment to our own values. Open source is a chance to be part of something in our own time and to contribute to a group that understands what volunteering is really about.
Open source is not about products (read that 10 more times). And it should never be about fame, or adoration, or free bug fixes. It should be about you facilitating others to contribute successfully. No matter how many times you have to request that I slightly alter my course, this is a world without deadlines, without the need to hamper creativity or assert the one true path. Open source is about creating a culture of contributor service, of reorienting your thinking to put contributors first and get the hell out if you’re still dragging around the baggage of "customers" and "brand image" and anything that doesn’t allow people to finally, meaningfully, help. via
