What does Open Source mean to you?

[Deanna]

Open Source is more than just a technical product, we would love to hear your thoughts on what Open Source means to you!

This can be a technical description, leadership style, development workflow, mission, personal definition, thought process, etc.

This question is part of the 100K Member Contest - don't forget to kudo the original contest post to be entered. 

[RangerKnight]

Collaboration in a large community of diverse interests - possibly even including businesses and individuals that would otherwise compete - to develop something that has benefits for everyone involved.

[Filipe_Scalioni]

Open Source is the way to have freedom with your choices, where you can improve and share all the software you use.

[Mitik_21]

SW for the people, by the people, of the people.

[Gopinatha1]

Technology that everyone can learn, contribute, adopt and Implement to get best out of the human innovation. Open source is where innovation gets born everyday. 

[AmaroBruschi]

Open source means freedom, freedom to learn from what has already been done, freedom to improve, freedom to contribute.

[Kintgerbpol]

A way to erase borders and build "The Thing" something that could represent everyone at the same time.

[Trevor]

OpenSource - a global community that contributes to the development and advancement of software resources.  

[Rinil]

For me opensource is a process/system of learning from the community and then contribute back to the system with your learnings

[robbz_chazz]

Open Source to me means freedom, freedom to share, collaborate and contribute to the greater good and making this planet a better place than we found it, and I believe Open Source is doing that!

[leafcat]

Collaboration on a scale not possible via closed-source