Finally, FOSS My Brother Can Grok

My brother has never grokked why open source is important to all of us. We've spoken about this in the past, but because my dad or I have always provided him with software price never entered into it. There's a more compelling reason for Free/Open Source Software which is freedom. That freedom (maybe I should use liberty) is something people don't even know has been eroded.

Most have heard the "hood welded shut" analogy. Now it looks like auto makers are doing just that. Consumers don't even know (or care) that their onboard computers are proprietary systems. But their local mechanic does. This article titled "Late-model car codes frustrate mechanics" helps clarify the issue.

My brother is a mechanic, he knows and uses the systems that diagnose vehicles. I wonder if he has run into this problem yet. More interesting is wether I can use this new case as a less abstract way of explaining the importance of openness in software and business.

Then I'll just have to explain what "grok" means