Liberty or limitations: We know which one we all prefer.

Liberty maximizes our choices. Like open source system that allows users to use information, manipulate, reuse, modify, and contribute in amended way to build more improved version.

On the other hand, limitation maximizes dependency. Like closed system that allows users to use information as is, but restrict modification to the actual system as per your need. You are dependent on the actual creator.

However, as the pendulum swings both ways, the choice of approach depends upon the compatibility with the requirement.

Open and closed are in a great dance, always have been. Openness is where innovation happens; closedness is where value is captured. And then it all begins over again. - Tim O'Reilly in Wired.

It is not just about what we like or what we do not like about both open source and closed source systems.

It is now more about how fast we can blow up the market with something new and exciting. How fast we can raise the bar, and present next best thing for the consumers before anyone else does.

To maintain the momentum, organizations now cannot ignore continuous integration and rapid delivery. And it’s not just companies but also consumers keep a close watch what’s new happening. Everyone now recognizes the changes. Everyone wants quick solutions.

This is where open source has an edge over proprietary systems because the pace of creative, diverse open source community of thought leaders and experts is too fast; they bring solutions to a problem more quickly. If we see last ten years, no proprietary system is able to innovate as faster as open source has done.

The most defining innovations (in technology, medicines and engineering) coming to us are driven by collective efforts and collaboration. From social, mobile, analytics to cloud, the power of collectiveness is clearly evident. It has become a part of creative process.

The playing field has changed. We are open to collaboration...new way of doing business.

Today, it is more about listening to people, aligning with their passion because there is not just few smart people out there in the world. There are lots of smart people, and we can learn so much from each other.

Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment is a great example that leveraged from ‘coaction’ to address the huge amount of collected data.

Peter W. Higgs and François Englebert were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the Higgs boson, or the "God particle. In 2008, the experiment was conducted with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to create the collisions in a controlled environment to make the observation and collect the data so that the theory of the existence of the Higgs boson could be confirmed.

But the problem for physicists was how to effectively address the 30 petabytes of data (big data) collected annually from the LHC. The problem was solved by creating a worldwide network that allows thousands of physicists to collaborate.

This whole network is built on Scientific Linux, Apache Hadoop and other open source software to analyze this huge-huge amount of data.

We are now redefining innovation processes. We want unrestricted access to rework on things that could possibly be made better. We look for new ways to improve them or find a next level solution and share with the world.

This very nature has changed the face of businesses and technology over the last two decades. Even, 30 years old strategy of Microsoft has changed. The company has embraced open source and welcome it with both hands. And proprietary vendors like Oracle, SAP, and Teradata use open source components in their offerings.

Ignorance of Open Source is NOT a bliss. It is everywhere now.

Any individual or company that takes IT seriously, open source is always in their consideration. There is almost no company that does not do anything with open source. Everybody does something with open source. It is just a question of whether they try to build their business or they use open source to just fuel their business.

Moreover, open source innovation is not restricted to software and developing code. It is drilling down in different industry and different vertical. It’s an exciting time for those who believe in harnessing the power of collectiveness.

Look at the automobile industry’s love for open source. Open Source Green Vehicle project, OSCav and Hyperloop are now one of the most sought after projects in recent times.

Open source hardware is also brewing fast among the community. Projects like Open Source Ecology, DIYDrones, Arduino or RepRap have already become an attraction for people across the world. Even data centers are getting the impetus of open source in terms of computing and hardware.

Open source security community has also been revolutionized with great interest in forensic tools, intrusion detection, and vulnerability scanner.

So certainly open source is more than software and it is transformational, too.

It infuses interest. Interest is what makes things valuable.

The free software movement revolution began in the nineteen eighties with the Canoe project. This now is associated with Linux and the open source movement.

It all happened because of the interest of fighting for that most politically incorrect ideas, and individual freedom.

Since then, open source has become a way for people to collaborate on new initiatives without being constrained by intellectual property problems, contract negotiations, and vendor lock-in. Plus, it encourages people to contribute fixes.

That’s why we see the incredible role of communities of interest driven by communities of passion. This is manifesting itself in not just few industries, but every single industry in the world we see around us.

Also, it is where we see people can do multiple things at a time. We can be producers, we can be evangelists, we can be co-creators, we can be innovators, and we can be critics… at different levels.

Rather than spending a lot of time on individual thinking, people are now interested in platforms where amazing things happen. This keeps everyone curious and interested.

It's not just about Capitalism. It is about improving others' life.

Freedom promotes a democracy in the innovation initiatives.

With openness and freedom, no discrimination comes in a way against persons or groups or against fields or endeavors. This beauty enables enthusiasts to help improve the life of others.

And, the emergence of several communities around specific human issues such as construction, transportation, fabrication, healthcare, furniture and even hardware are holding great promise to constantly improve our lives without the monopoly of just few people.

This enables people to focus on what is possible and explore more rather than pondering on patent, as a result new options and new solutions are revealed to us to improve each other lives.

The Humanitarian FOSS Project , the #OpenAPS project, and SocialCoding4Good are good examples of social good and improving life.

If you dig into the history , Benjamin Franklin was also a great contributor to help solve everyday problems. He did not patent any of his inventions such as his Lightning Rod, Bifocal Spectacles, and The Franklin Stove.

“Franklin believed that "As we benefit from the inventions of others, we should be glad to share our own...freely and gladly.

What Franklin shared with the world at that time is still important to all of us.

Collective creation is the key to innovation, and sharing is the currency of the new world. We all can be a part of it.