1.4. Essential terminology or 'Read this even if you think you know what it means'
When people talk about community, they may be talking about very different things:
People who use something
People who like something
People who advocate for a technology
People who enable others to use something
People who contribute to improve something
... and so on.
When we talk about community in the The Open Source Way, we mean the community of contributors who are a superset to all other communities. The ones who, by getting things done, make it possible for many, many more to get much, much more done.
This is the group of people who form intentionally and spontaneously around something important to them. It includes the people who use or benefit from the project, those who participate and share the project to wider audiences, and the contributors who are essential to growth and survival.
Contributors are the oxygen. Without it, the animal chokes and dies.
The community that contributes to improve something ...
The community that contributes to improve something is the one that defines the technology and the next generation of users, advocates, and enablers.
