It’s been amazing to watch how the open source movement has grown from something that only a fanatical few were aware of or involved with into something that Joe and Jane Everyday User are beginning to be familiar with. Now, I’m not saying that these everyday users fully understand open source and truly get what the benefits are of this development approach, but at least we’re beginning to break down the barriers to understanding.

Hey, even some experienced software developers are still trying to figure it all out, and granted it can be hard to accept something that is such a departure from the standard way in which software has been built for years. We still have a very long way to go, and years from now, we’ll probably still be talking about how we’re "almost there" in explaining and furthering the adoption of open source.

Even though Linux is still the first thing that I think of when open source is brought up, the OS hasn’t really hit the mainstream just yet, although dramatic advancements have been made to make it more accessible to the general public.

The open source movement needs a poster child, and while Linux may have previously been the default candidate for this position, I believe that Firefox is quickly becoming its replacement.

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