The Precepts of Opportunity

Why you should support Google, Firefox and the whole OpenSource Shebang...

I am one guy making a decent living from behind my desk in a one-bedroom San Francisco apartment.

I play by Google's rules, and they do right by me with traffic.

Not so long ago, anyone wanting to put up a decent commercial Web site had to spend thousands of dollars. But today, because of the availability of free blog and CMS scripts, truly anyone can have a great looking, great functioning Web site in minutes, for nothing.

Free blog scripts like Wordpress and free CMS scripts like Joomla power some of the Web's most highly trafficked sites. I could write many paragraphs telling you how great these scripts are and how easy they make it for even one person to operate a Web site, or many Web sites. But suffice it to say that they are as good as anything you once had to mortgage the house to build.

The Old Thinking

Now, to properly understand how this is possible, you have to let go of the idea that to get something good you have to spend a lot of money. You also have to break from the belief that free stuff sucks or comes with a catch. I know, it sounds unbelievable, even as I type the words. But it's true. I'll explain.

I run Windows XP Pro on my desktops. For the most part, I am satisfied with it. It cannot escape my notice, however, that Windows software is expensive. Nor can it escape my attention that the software I buy from Microsoft reflects the ultimate ideas of just a few people in control.

Opensource

Opensource is the idea that software source code should be freely available to anyone who wishes to improve it. Along with that comes the idea that it's okay to use things you get for free to make money, so long as you give due credit to the people who made them.

Google

Google is an active participant in the Opensource community. Google offers up its code and API's, and encourages developers all over the world to use and improve upon it. Google is also extremely open and forthcoming with the rules it upholds. These rules are, in every case, fair, reasonable and conducive to the betterment of the Web. Unlike other large technology companies, Google's ideas for the Web are not decided by a few people. While Sergey and Larry and Eric are very much leaders, it is a leadership made great because it fosters democracy and is happy to empower deserving others.

Firefox

Firefox is your next browser. It's yours free, courtesy of a group of people who go by the name Mozilla. It's also the # 2 browser right now, and gaining fast in popularity. In perfect keeping with the Opensource principle that the best stuff should rise to the surface and succeed, Firefox has made history in a most historic way. It has been voted into its current position by the enormous number of people who have had a hand in building it, and by the even more enormous number of people who simply choose Firefox over the other options.

Choice

Choice is the essence of democracy. And democracy is a system embraced by those courageous enough to trust in the Will of the People. Today, for the efforts of Google, Opensource and Mozilla, we all have choices, many great choices... not to mention many opportunities.

Gratitude

I also owe them a debt of gratitude for making it possible for the little guy in all of us to be heard, and even make a living from it, if he so wishes.

Well, that's the end of the unpaid endorsement - lol. These really and truly are good ideas, folks. Maybe some of the best ever.

I've placed links below to some of the cool free stuff available to noob entrepreneurs -

 

Sincerely,

Jack Mardack
profitlabinc.com

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