What do you do when you discover a bug in a program that you run on your computer? If you're on the Windows or Macintosh platform, your options are limited to taking it straight to the developer or just living with it. However, if you are running Linux or some other Unix derivative, chances are, you have the option to download the code, tinker around with your problem, re-compile, and be ready to roll. If you are not one of the technical elite that has that knowledge, help can be just an e-mail away. Support can be provided by either the initial developer or one of the technical elite that knows the code. This is where the beauty of open source software lies. Open source brings the end-user to within reach of someone who can help, rather than waiting on the phone for customer service from Microsoft or another giant software company. From the utopian development process that the open-source pioneers envisioned to what it has grown to be in the present, open-source has benefited businesses, the computer industry, the Internet, and millions of end-users.