Open Source - “amateurs”?

This post has been lingering in my head for a while, and reappears because of similar thought patterns stirred up by reading Z&TAOMM again. Some time ago I read an editorial piece written by Marcus Ranum in which he says …

We all know the strategem, divide and conquer, but, honestly, Microsoft didn’t even need to take that initiative. They just sat back and watched free UNIX fail to become a credible threat because, well, frankly, it was in the hands of egotistical, detail-oriented amateurs.

This perception of FOSS supporters as egotistical amatuers is an interesting one. On the one-hand, I think I know where he’s coming from. There is definitely a tendancy towards detail orientation and communication styles are often blunt, opinionated and patronizing.

On the other hand, Chris Locke presents a compelling counter-argument …

Related to “amateur” is the even more pejorative term “dilettante” — someone who practices a craft or studies a field of knowledge in which he or she is not a “recognized professional.” But the etymological roots of these words tell a different story. Amateurs do what they do for love (from the Latin amare), while dilettantes are not mere casual dabblers, but instead are inspired by delight (from the Italian dilettare by way of the Latin delectare). But delight and passion for the work are precisely the qualities professionals tend to lose first. The opposite of professionalism is what Zen master Shunryu Suzuki called “beginner’s mind” — an ability to look at the world with fresh eyes and an open spirit.

This is a clear example of subject-object duality, and depending on your own orientation, your opinion will probably differ.

I think Locke’s is right on the mark — it’s passion and spirit — Gumption in Persig’s words — that is important, and is what will win at the end of the day!

[ 0 comments ] [ creativity - entrepreneurship - open source ]