ARTICLE: Understanding Open Source

[qreeves]

From: http://qreeves.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/understanding-open-source.html

As the developer of the Open Source first-person-shooter project, Red Eclipse, I have come across many different types of personalities; some are good, some are bad. Quite often, I will have someone looking to contribute to the project who is so convinced that their point of view is so important that it only ever ends badly. Unfortunately, you can’t control this kind of thing, but in the past I have attempted to guide these people along the right path, albeit unsuccessfully most of the time.

I believe there is a misconception surrounding the phrase “Open Source”, that many people bang against and wonder why they’re met with such hostility. When a person decides to release their creations with an Open Source license, their desire is most often always to share it with the public in many ways, including allowing everyone to use and/or modify it for free.

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Free as in beer, not free as in speech”, but maybe don’t quite understand the implications of that. The creator of Open Source content is looking to give you something for free, and quite often allows you to take it and do whatever you want with it; the most beneficial part of which is the ability to study, modify, and play with it. This creator already has their own ideas, their own opinions, and their own way of doing things.

Every so often, you have an individual come along who has their own ideas and opinions, and they are so fixed on the concept that their way is the right way, they end up having a complete disregard for the creator, and the community behind that creation, if one exists. These people will enter a community, demand that everyone conforms to their vision, and when they discover the creator and/or community are resistant to it, blames everyone else for the fact that they failed. This often ends with the person declaring something along the lines of: “I should have known better, you don’t appreciate me, I’ll go elsewhere and get my way there.”

The problem is, these people don’t ever try to integrate with a project naturally, they appear to expect instant results as soon as they come along, and assume they know everything they need to know. This is mostly untrue. Throwing a tantrum and refusing to share your toys is the best way to ensure that everyone will instantly dislike you. To them, they were doing just fine before you came along trying to shake the tree and making demands of them, and they will continue to do just fine without you.

Open Source is a democracy of one. Someone, somewhere up the chain, came up with the idea and executed it. They built it, and they own it. Just because they have given something to you free of charge, does not entitle you to start telling them how to do their “job”. You’re not paying them, in fact, they’re giving up their free time to follow an idea that they are passionate about, and it is just a side effect of generosity that they released it for everyone to enjoy. Too many people think that Open Source bestows a right of ownership on them, but if you ever read one of these licenses carefully, all a creator is giving you is the right to use, distribute, and/or modify it.

So, if you’re looking to contribute to an Open Source project, now or sometime in the future, try to remember this: You are a guest in someone else’s home, please respect them and the work they have done. Try to understand their vision and their rules, get to know the way they operate, find out if they’re even interested in your ideas. If you approach them with a good understanding of their work, you’re more likely to get the result you are after, or maybe even find some other way you can fit in.

[TheLastProject]

Great article, couldn't agree more. And hey, if whoever wants to contribute can't agree with the community and original creator(s), there is always the possibility of forking the work. If the ideas of said person really are better, it will be possible to create a community, or it will allow them to find out their ideas aren't as great as they sounded in their heads.

[Fallen]

it will allow them to find out their ideas aren't as great as they sounded in their heads.

And (maybe) that their ideas miss with that project concept (it doesn't fit to project) or it's not possible/too hard to do it on current stage/engine (or for other reasons).

[greaserpirate]

I wish somebody had told me this earlier! Before I learned it the hard way.

When I was just starting out mapping for Sauer, I used to think I was going to become famous and respected throughout Quadropolis. So when I started getting scathing criticisms on my maps I was shocked and angry. I thought: I'M the one doing the work, why doesn't anybody appreciate me? I never really considered that they had the right to have whatever opinion of my work they wanted. I only saw how awesome my idea sounded to me, and how much work I put into it. This really made me feel discouraged at first, but then I started thinking about what I hoped to achieve, and I realised:

Everybody has the right to an opinion regarding your creations, and there is validity in every opinion. Somebody is not "wrong" because your idea is just so cool, because you worked harder than them, or because you think they're close-minded or ignorant. This isn't to say that all your great ideas are misguided, of course, just that people are never obligated to like them.

I guess it's true for all beginners, in every kind of field, that a lot of the time they expect to become rock stars and run the show. Wanting to do things your own way is a great desire to have, but as I know from being a guitarist, you'll never get far in a band if you never listen to your bandmates.

Sorry if I'm kind of ranting, but this subject is really important to me.

(By the way, can I ask what kind of conflict this article is based on? From what I've seen the community is usually very unified and cooperative. Also, since the game is so tweakable, most of the time conflicts don't arouse since everybody can do things their own way.)

[ZeroKnight]

@greaser
Quin's been meaning to write up something like this for a while, but a recent incident with a user wanting to contribute, but went about it all the wrong ways most likely prompted him to write it up now.
This isn't the only planned article, btw. There are going to be more ;)

[EDIT]
btw, this should definitely be stickied.

[fawstoar]

This is brilliant. Excellent writing, Quin.

@ZeroKnight Is this about "Kitsune"?

[qreeves]

Glad you all enjoyed it. I think, in a way, I came to this conclusion a while ago but never really noticed it. Yes, I am the leader, I am in control, but the people who have taken the time to know the game, and are themselves passionate about it, have banded together with me to make it better. It is those instances where I say: "Hey, I might not agree totally with that idea, but who am I to stop them from being able to do it?" - I think Architect really got the ball rolling on this one by prompting me to do the whole variable system, it's been the feather in the cap of RE, and gives us the freedom we so love now.

Kitsune was one of many people who have come up against this problem, but what prompted me to write this article was a more recent event with Joel "MiJyn" Leclerc. He was looking to contribute to the project, and unfortunately went about it the wrong way. He got met with a fair bit of hostility, and while I don't blame the community for that (we all defend what we love), I do feel like we could do better to make people understand the situation they're getting into. Now we have an article we can point people at, and say: "I think you need to understand how Open Source works, please read this before you continue with what you're doing."

[wowie]

I second the vote for a sticky. If not a sticky, it should be put somewhere in the wiki. I think this article is great. I dove in to this game and its community, not knowing what to expect. This article sums up what should and shouldn't be expected. Now if only I had time to play more than a few times a month...

[Fallen]

I second the vote for a sticky. If not a sticky, it should be put somewhere in the wiki.

I think that in next relase there should be some rules to accept before playing wich will include this article (and few others about game - wich are available in txt files).

[fawstoar]

@Fallen

Playing the game =/= offering to contribute to it actively. I'm not sure a "terms of agreement" kind of thing would be appropriate here...

[Dratz-_C]

Quin, I think this is an excellent post, and I've enjoyed reading it.
Cheers

[Iridium]

<3

[inpersona64]

I just love the fact that this game is free, because I know I only came here (from Halo) to play something a bit more fast paced and vibrant. I've never really been much into mods, but I do like the fact that the game is open source allowing people to change the game to how they feel they want to play it. Its like having a sandbox hopefully, we don't meet any more people who try to contribute the incorrect way.

[ZeroKnight]

Now we have an article we can point people at, and say: "I think you need to understand how Open Source works, please read this before you continue with what you're doing."

This <33