Final answer:
Individuals contribute to open source projects for altruistic reasons like open philanthropy and practical ones such as economic benefits and personal fulfillment. The development of Linux by Linus Torvalds, as an example, significantly altered the economics of the high-tech industry by providing a free, configurable system that broke monopolies and led to innovation.
Step-by-step explanation:
People contribute to open source projects for various altruistic and pragmatic reasons. Altruistically, contributors may share a desire to assist and enable the success of others, akin to open philanthropy. This is comparable to educators who provide instruction and light to others without diminishing their own knowledge, as eloquently expressed by Thomas Jefferson. Pragmatically, contributing to an open source project like Linux has economic benefits, as it can drive technological innovation, reduce costs for companies, and disrupt monopolies, leading to a more vibrant and competitive market.For instance, Linux's development by Linus Torvalds allowed for a free and configurable operating system that revolutionized high-tech economics. It resulted in lower costs for PC manufacturers, increased power for computing clusters, and provided alternatives to expensive proprietary systems, affecting companies such as Sun and SGI. The open source nature of projects like Linux invites a community of developers to contribute, enhancing the technology and fostering a rich ecosystem of applications and systems. Moreover, the economics of high-tech are also influenced by support and maintenance models centered on value-added services, rather than initial software costs.Contributors to open source are also driven by the intrinsic reward of solving technical challenges and the recognition from their peers within the community. Many find personal fulfillment in the intellectual pursuit and the collaborative effort that characterizes open source projects.