The same thing that compels us to make Linux (and many other projects) free and open source is present in many of humanity's greatest achievements
Open Source is a key part of who we are. Not as members of any given group, company, or country, but as human beings. Dating back to our very early days, the free exchange of ideas and knowledge—from written language to the designs for tools—is central to how we have advanced as a species.
What follows is technically an infographic—as in, it is a graphic, and there is some information on it.
While it was put together by people working at a company (in this case, SUSE), you won’t find any product statistics here. No details on how Product X is N times faster than Product Y, no demographic breakdown of who uses this platform or that.
What you will find is a list of moments in human history brought about, in part, through humanity’s burning desire to make information—free. From the earliest cave drawings to the UNIVAC A-2 (and beyond), the very same thing that compels us to make Linux (and many other projects) free and open source is present in so many of humanity’s greatest achievements.
This list is by no means complete. Only so many examples could fit on here and still make it look snazzy. Consider this a jumping off point for contemplating the profound and deep impact that our need to be open (and open source) has had on the world. It is part of us. It always has been.
It’s in our DNA.
