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Open source is neither a community nor a democracy

Using open source software does not entitle you to a vote on the direction of the project. The gift you've received is the software itself and the freedom of use granted by the license. That's it, and this ought to be straight forward, but I repeatedly see that it is not (no matter how often it is repeated). And I think the problem ste...

They're usually run by a small group of core contributors who take on the responsibility to advance the project, review patches, and guard the integrity of the vision. You absolutely want projects to be driven by the people who show up to do the work, demonstrate their superior dedication and competence, and are thus responsible for keeping the gift factory churning out new updates, features, and releases. Sometimes the relationships are symbiotic, but they're also potentially parasitic.But whatever word you choose, you'd do well to remember that open source is first and foremost a method of collaboration between programmers who show up to do the work.

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