Why open source?
Even after 16 years of open sourcing ERPNext, the most common question I get asked is “Why open source?”. Maybe open source is still enough of a rarity in today’s world that people feel curious about it. Why would this company give away their software for free? What is the catch? Are they for real? Are they gypsies?
My answer to this question over the years has been ambiguous. Not everything you do has a clear answer, sometimes you just follow a hunch just because it feels right without knowing why. Over the years, I have asked this question to myself several times and because I did not have an original answer, I keep finding newer insights on why it “feels right”.
Unlike most people, my brush with open source wasn’t with Linux, but with Python programming language. I grew up in the 90s working on Microsoft based tools - mostly BASIC, and enjoyed it. There was a certain “consistency” to the user interface that I feel sadly lacking in today’s world. Also BASIC had no brackets. When I first bumped into Python, I was working on a complex project in Java. So when I saw Python, the lazy elegance of the language was love at first sight. And no brackets. Then I discovered that Python was free. At the same time, I bought an iBook (early version of MacBook) on student discount and the only way I could program on that was Python.
Python opened me to the world of “community made” software - that did not require licenses or purchasing. Yes there was Java, but Java sucked. Thinking about NetBeans and Eclipse still makes me cringe. No one would use it for a “hobby” project. It was during that time (2005) I started writing the early version of what is now Frappe Framework, as a hobby project, and I was pulled into this world of open source creativity. Also as far as I remember, web frameworks have always been free and open source (it was the time of Zope and CGI, early days for Flask). So it became a default decision for me to put Frappe Framework free as well.
In other ways, open source appealed to my sensibilities as well. Coming from a “poor” country like India which was just rising up from centuries of inequality, keeping things open made sense. My family was mostly apolitical but we subscribed to the socialist, liberal ideology of the times. So even in that sense, there was never a conflict between open source and socialism.
Later as I decided to become an entrepreneur, I could see open source as a competitive advantage in the market. In the early 2010s, “cloud” and “SAAS” were the emerging business models for software and I thought open source did not have any conflict with that either.
At the time, the open source world was divided into two competing ideologies exemplified by Linus Torvalds (moderate) and Richard Stallman (extreme). I clearly fell in the “moderate” camp. The only book I had read on the topic was Linus’ memoir - Just for Fun and it kind of summed up my feelings as well. My personality also aligns with this “devil may care” attitude, where you don’t take things too seriously, and do things for a reason, not an outcome. Like Linus, I also have a tendency to express things as I see it without caring for its political correctness or impact (It is more ethical in my point of view. Sugar-coating and self-censorship beyond a point feels manipulative).
So yes, for more reasons than one, open source just “felt right”.
Money, power and open source
Later in life as I delved more into philosophy, I realise that the organising force of society is power. People seek money not only because they seek comfort, but because they seek power. Power means the ability to change society - the ability to influence large outcomes. Money can buy you advertising and advertising can buy you influence. Our need for power is almost altruistic, we think we know better for society. The discovery of the process of how we acquire power is what gives us the moral authority. Power allows you to “control” people around you to behave in a way you think is right for the system. Power is also how you get respect in society. People are attracted to powerful people, because they want some of it rub on them and to feel powerful themselves.
In a society where most things happen via capitalism, money can get you more power than anything else. Money can be traded for almost anything - political power, fame, respect. In this context, open source feels very counter intuitive. By giving away money, it feels that you are giving away power (at least on the surface of it). And only a fool would give up power.
So why do people have a glint in their eyes when they want to know about “why open source?”. You can feel their full attention as you begin to frame your answer. It feels like they are seeking something. It is almost like you have the “power” at the moment because you have something they want. This is something I had not thought about until recently. Open source has the power of renunciation. You have ultimate power over something when you are willing to give it up, because it loses the power to affect you. This is what people want to know about - the power of open source and why does it feel more powerful than money.
If you look at society from the lens of power and not money, then it makes complete sense. Ultimately what makes us happy as humans is what will be good for me and for society. Open source is definitely good for society. Open source may not buy you comfort (you will still need money for that), but it will definitely buy you power. You may lose a bit of money in the process, but it does not seem a bad trade-off.
