Open Source Hypocrite

If you asked me if I support open source, I would say yes. I would say that community involvement keeps projects alive and helps them reach amazing potential. Sites like GitHub make information from around the world accessible while maintaining integrity. I would tell you that free alternatives willingly shared by their creators is how I was able to afford software all through my undergraduate years.

So when I read Wired Magazine's recent articles about the undiscovered potential for tools like GitHub, why didn't I jump out of my chair with a fist pump? They suggested it could be used for articles exactly like this one. I was hesitant about open source for the first time because Wired was suggesting that I could contribute. They put their article about GitHub up on that site to be edited, translated, or otherwise altered, and that was terrifying for me. Of course, I support open source in regard to other people's hard work, but mine?

I had to question my motives in writing. If GitHub is about sharing knowledge, I should be willing to do that. I should aim to teach and share my perspective in the same way programmers who write free software do. I should be willing to let the community help my work reach its potential, even if it turns out to have none.

But it's hard to trust people you don't know. I fear for the integrity of my work. I fear that I will be judged. I fear I won't be translated correctly. I fear someone will just alter it in ways I don't like. Yet, these are the very benefits of open source--for every troll, there are five normal people who honestly want to improve my work.

I thought open source was just for software. It's easier to track who gets credit for certain lines of code and to see the exact changes made. In writing, there are more shades of gray, more subjectivity. I wonder, do programmers worry about the style, the cleanliness of their code in the community? Do they worry about every hack who could mangle their work?

I've used many open-source products and have often been grateful for the programmers behind things like OpenOffice, Android, and Ubuntu. I never considered that it is also a small act of bravery to release your work purely for the benefit of others. GitHub isn't quite outfitted to host articles yet, but when it is, will I be brave enough to support open source in the most meaningful way--by becoming a contributor?