I'd like to put forth a simple question:
"Is the massive commercial success of Open Source a good thing... or a bad thing?"
A simple question... without a simple answer.
Over the last 17 years of covering the Open Source world -- from Linux to Firefox, and everything in-between -- I have actively championed the embracing of Open Source by the larger Tech companies. I celebrated and cheered each success of Open Source organizations.
Now, in 2023, as I look out at the entirety of the Open Source landscape -- from small projects and end-users to larger Foundations and For-Profit Companies -- I am left with the realization that the financial success I so often cheered for... has, while brining some noteworthy improvements, also resulted in some major problems. Arguably... doing more harm than good.
Have the major Open Source organizations lost their way? Have they become the very thing they swore to destroy?
Let's take a look...