Ethics and action in an open community
The community of open software and design is an amazing thing. I am frequently awed by it. It makes my way of life possible. I find a beauty in engaging it and a special kind of joy in giving back to it.
The thing that's striking me at the moment is that it is an example of an economic system that works. It is a model where everyone involved can get more than they can give. No, this doesn't violate the precepts of thermodynamics. This is a case where the product created by one person or group can be distributed to thousands or millions with no fee for mutual benefit. (There is an economic thesis here, but that is for another day.)
At face value, it looks like the community is 99% pirates and trolls and 1% geniuses. Actually, the ratio is even more extreme, when you do the math of software uploads, updates, etc... vs downloads. I, personally, have downloaded far more then I've ever given back. This is not for lack of trying, however. I've been active in forums, tried briefly at participating in developer communities and even tried to launch my own open source project.
Sometimes I feel like a draw on the system. Then I come across another resource that shows how the entire model only exists because of people like myself. Today, that site was this:
http://www.mac-developer-network.com/category/columns/artoftheproduct/