The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams

Chapter 6. With or Without You

When I walked out of the room that day, I knew I would never return. For four years, I had been heavily involved with a technical community that promoted the use of open source software. When I first joined, the community was a huge personal boon for me. I built several strong friendships, received tons of valuable advice and suggestions, was given a lot of used computer equipment, and found myself with new potential career opportunities. I participated in nearly every event the group held and eventually wound up being elected president of the group. But the group had dissolved into a bitter war over how to organize ourselves: Should we remain an informal gathering of people with the president largely making ...