04.22.07
What “open source” is and isn’t: a guide for software users
The developer(s) of Handbrake (an open-source application for converting DVD content to MPEG-4, e.g., for iPod Video or AppleTV) have written up a nice guide for end-users as to what open-source software is and isn’t.
By and large, the post is an appropriate characterization of every open-source project in existence, and it certainly is completely correct for 95% of all open-source projects out there (most of which are small single-programmer affairs). There are a few well-known software projects to which the entire post does not apply completely (corporate-sponsored OSS projects that are open-source in order to harness the “community” to improve the product and the bottom line, and projects that fall a little closer towards some manner of “cater[ing] to the needs, whims, or desires of end-users”), but even in these cases, the formula set out by the Handbrake developer(s) is still largely correct from an end-user perspective. If you’re not up for reading the entire post, the two bulleted lists provide a good summary and a quick read.
Since I stumbled upon the post today with some surprise at not having seen it before, and since I liked it so much, I wanted to make a quick post and “do my part” to give it some more exposure. (Who am I kidding? Only Sam reads this 
—and only to catch my typos.)
Thanks to the Handbrake guys for coming up with this great guide; it’s a must-read, and I wish I had known about it a month ago. If you are someone who uses open-source software, please consider reading it to be your homework assignment for the week.