The Purpose Behind Open Source Contributions: Motivation, Challenges, and Community.

https://openclipart.org/detail/194830/tux-linux-by-kalapahejo-194830

Why would you contribute to an open source project?

In the Cathedral and the Bazaar, a key book to describe what is open source, Eric Raymond introduces the concept of “scratching your own itch” as the origin and motivation of open source. You face a problem yourself, and then you create an open source solution that you share with the world, hoping that the community will help to improve it.

This model assumes several things:

• You have an itch and you are motiaved to fix it, dedicating your time.
• You have the technical knowledge to scratch your own itch.
• The problem is shared by others that are willing to create a community around it, contributing their experience to improve the solution.

Open source projects often excel in technical depth but fall short when it comes to areas like user experience (UX). Why? Because developers — particularly skilled ones — often don’t see the world the way everyday users do, nor do they have the same needs. In fact, many developers aren’t focused on crafting intuitive interfaces; they’re focused on solving complex technical challenges.

This brings us to an important realization: The “itch” and the “community” aren’t just about solving problems — they’re about having a sense of purpose

The Maslow Hierarchy of Needs (wikipedia)

Open Source and the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

Contributing to an Open Source projects provides many of the high order needs in the Maslow hierarchy, like creativity, self confidence, and purpose.

I believe that purpose is the core to the engineers working on open source. It goes beyond working on difficult problems, to become the combination of solving engineering problems and feeling like they’re doing something good for the world. It’s purpose-driven work, where the code they write impacts a broader community, often aligned with values of openness, collaboration, and empowerment.

The Shift in Open Source’s Purpose and Consequences

However, in recent years, some of the biggest names in open source have lost touch with this sense of purpose. As they’ve grown, many have started operating like traditional software companies, focused primarily on revenue. In doing so, they’ve diluted their core mission — becoming “open source first” in name, but “open source only when necessary” in practice.

This shift has consequences. Engineers are leaving these companies, faced with a choice: adjust to a lower tier of Maslow’s hierarchy, focused on financial security and basic needs, or find work that aligns more closely with their desires. Reputation and career are more and more appreciated as a reason to work on open source, because internal motivation is less and less a differentiation with other technical jobs.

Preserving the True Value of Open Source

To make open source continue in the path of growth and impact, we must prioritize preserving the sense of purpose that drives it. Open source has always been more than just a method of solving technical problems — it’s about creating something meaningful and collaborative, fueled by a passion to contribute to a larger community. When companies lose sight of this, focusing solely on revenue, they risk diluting the very values that make open source unique and fulfilling for engineers.

As open source continues to evolve, it’s crucial for leaders to recognize that the motivations behind contributions — creativity, community, and purpose — are what make it thrive. If we let these values slip away, open source projects risk becoming indistinguishable from traditional enterprise software companies, losing the essence that makes them powerful, innovative, and community-driven. By staying true to its roots, open source can continue to inspire and empower developers, allowing it to become the true best model for software development.

[embed]The Cathedral and the Bazaar - Wikipedia The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary (abbreviated CatB ) is an…en.wikipedia.org

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