Financial Times: Welcome to the Amateur Century

“For the past two centuries experts have risen to command
virtually every field: science, medicine, sport, education,
parenting, cooking. The professionals have pushed aside bumbling
amateurs.

“Yet in the century to come a new breed of amateur–not lone
inventors but dedicated, educated, well resourced people, working
in networks–will make a comeback. The reign of the professionals
has passed its peak…

“In software, some of the most impressive innovations in recent
years have come from the Open Source movement, which creates
software, such as the Linux operating system, by bringing together
networks of committed enthusiasts to share their ideas…”

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