1. The developers who write it are passionate about solving the problem because its generally a problem for them.
  2. It requires creativity to solve a problem in the limited time available. This leads to innovative design.
  3. The software tends to be focused on solving one problem really well, not being all things to all men.
  4. With no marketing budget the software needs to speak for itself
  5. The developer is completely free to do things the right way not the quick way
  6. Pier pressure keeps coding standards way higher than you would normally expect
  7. It has really cool names like Git and Gimp!

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