Deck the halls and make the yule tide gay! It’s almost Christmas!
So how are you making your holiday season “open-source”?
1) Gifts
Do you love open-source, or know someome who does? It’s easy to give the gift of open. Perhaps you want to buy someone a new computer and throw in a copy of your favorite Linux distro. Or, perhaps, you just want to give away copies with your Christmas cards or at holiday parties. That can be an inexpensive way to say you care, and help grow the community.
Perhaps your friends or family are into games. One of the best things you can do is gift someone the Humble Indie Bundle #2. Pay as much as you want, help out two good causes, and give that loved one 5 awesome, cross-platform games.
You could show your support of various open-source projects by purchasing items in their own stores. For instance, I’ve been known to window-shop and lust for things in the Ubuntu store.
But, of course, not all your cherished ones are into technology or care anything about open-source. For these people, you can help out by purchasing your regular presents through the Gnome Amazon store. It’s everything you’d find at Amazon, but the Gnome foundation gets a nice cut from your purchases. It’s yet another great way to help spread the love this holiday season.
2) Embrace Community
One of the most important aspects behind the open-source ethos is the idea of a strong, interdependent community. There is no better time to appreciate the importance of community than Christmas. Spend time with your friends and families, go to parties and get-togethers, and most of all, have fun with each other’s company!