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To contribute to (say) the Linux Kernel, or Firefox, you need to be a good programmer. To contribute to Wikipedia is a little easier, but you probably need to b
by rmc 12y ago
To contribute to (say) the Linux Kernel, or Firefox, you need to be a good programmer. To contribute to Wikipedia is a little easier, but you probably need to be pretty knowledgeable about something non-trivial.
To contribute to OpenStreetMap, you only have to know somewhere. It's quite likely that almost everyone knows something that isn't in OSM.
Even 2 people from the same town, but live 1km apart could probably contribute different things to OSM.
Combine that with everyone wanting to see their own town/city/house/area on a map, and it's a recipe for explosive growth.
- asadotzler 12y agoGenerally agree with the ease of contribution sentiment to OSM, but your characterization of Firefox contributors dismisses the valuable work that 9 out of 10 Mozilla contributors do who aren't programmers. You absolutely do not need to be a good programmer, or any kind of programmer at all, to contribute to Firefox. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/
- rmc 12y agoI misspoke, and apologise. Most of my point still stands w.r.t. Firefox. QA, graphic design, education, translation and documentation are still skills that lots of people don't have.