The open source movement has claimed a lot of trophies over time. While Linux is not threatening Microsoft’s reign over the operating system world, it has changed the playing field somewhat with its level of customization, stability, and security features. While the Gimp will probably never be as popular as Photoshop is, it has given a lot of people the ability to create and edit a lot of great images. And while OpenOffice may never end up being on as many computers as Microsoft Office is, it has given many people who do not wish to spend that amount of money on such a program the option of working within the same file types, as well as the ability to share what they have produced with the Microsoft Office users of the world.
The very nature of any open source program is that it can be customized a great deal more than the “vanilla” programs that most companies tend to put out. While Microsoft Office has got a lot of different features to it, even the best programmers would not be able to edit it, in order to make the program work in a way that was better for their individual needs. And while you could always argue that since some of the best programmers on earth are already working on making these companies’ programs better for their clients, there should be no need to customize them, that is a very passive approach to take with the software which could prove to be your livelihood.
When you use open source software, even if you have absolutely no skills as a programmer, you are still exercising some level of personal power. After all, you could easily just capitulate to the demands of the companies that would have you spend hundreds of dollars on their software — but since you don’t, you are rejecting their offer and taking up something that may work just as well.