People like to feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves. A few classes ago, when Professor Bui showed that you could add something to the calculator in windows most of the class, me included, were very excited by the idea. The thought of being able to be part of such a big project, knowing that something you did was used all around the world is exhilarating. People have always wanted to belong, we are social creatures, and open source is a society with far reaching goals. Open source provides people with the opportunity to work on projects that they are interested in, for as long or as short as their interest remains, and then move onto the next project, all while feeling like you are contributing to something that will help the larger good. Mozilla, one of the big names in open source, has the goal to create a free, open and safe internet for everyone. These kind of lofty goals inspire people to become part of the community. To in some small way add their voice and their talents to those already working on it. To leave their mark on history. The sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves is what attracts people to open source. It is a way to be ambitious in life, while still remaining relatively protected from risk. This is the theory and the principle behind Open Source, however, in practice it is not as clean as it sounds. While there is a push for welcoming in the Open Source community, there is a certain stigma associated with it. Projects are controlled by moderators, who may decide what is good and what is not. The free code sharing of the homebrew computer club exists in spirit, but there is, again, a stigma attached to forking another’s project. The idea of open source in theory is that people should freely trade code with each other and expect no recognition for the work they are done, they should be working for their own enjoyment. However, to go along with people liking to feel like they belong, they also like to be recognized for their work. Therefore it is expected that contributors are listed to a project and that a project is not simply forked by another party to add to it on their own. What I have seen happening, with what we talked about this week and with my own experiences, it the open source community moving toward where the homebrew computer club moved to. Bill Gates wanted to be recognized for his work just like people who contribute to open source. This is not necessarily a bad thing so long as it is only in moderation. It costs nothing to add a contributors name to a README, but if people continue the push for recognition they will end up moving away from open source and solely write code they are paid to write. I do not think or want this to happen, and so the open source community will have to make itself healthy. The stigma around forking should be removed, people should be able to share code freely and openly, however, they should also be recognized for their contributions in some small way. Most people who work on open source would be more than satisfied to see their name listed as a contributor to windows, even if it is only in the calculator.