Open Source – what does it really mean?

Open Source is one of the most misunderstood domains in our new society. I just read an article about the failure of the sharing economy. The author closed with the idea, that really no one would like to share something if he doesn’t get something back which brings him into an better position. And this is not inhumane.
The failure of the sharing economy brings me to new thoughts about open source. I am working in a open source project since several years. What does it mean to me? It is not to give my work to other companies for free. We run a company which provides commercial services. These services mean: “Hey we have a cool fancy technology. If you like it, we can help you to get started“. And this is because software development is not one of the easiest things in our live.
So what I am sharing in my open source project is not the enterprise software to be used by the big industry for free. I just share my thoughts about problems in the area of software development. My thoughts are open for anyone who is interested in discussing those kinds of software problems. It’s like sitting in the pub and talking with someone about the last football match. Just sharing thoughts and come up with new ideas. That’s the meaning of Open Source.