> <i>Open source started in the mid-70s, and programmer that I am, I call this era 0.0 – the “free software” era. Academics and hobbyists developed software, and the whole ethos was: give software away for free. As ARPANET gave way to the internet, networks made it much easier to collaborate and exchange code.</i><p>> <i>I remember going to work at MIT or the Open Software Foundation at the time for work, and I had no idea where my paycheck came from. There was no concept of a business model, and the money behind “free software” development, if there was any, came in the form of university or corporate research grants.</i><p>Though I was not in the industry at this time, I don't think "give software away for free" is a sufficient summary of the free software movement. Many free software advocates - then and now - are very quick to point out that "free" doesn't mean free-as-in-beer, it means free-as-in-speech. In other words, freedom as an ethical and political construct, not as a statement of value or price. I think the author glosses over this fact because it doesn't jive with a corporate interpretation of the utility of open source software.