Ubuntu

When you buy a new Dell, there is a surprising choice available.  The open source Linux option is Ubuntu - and you can get it pre-installed in your new Dell.  What makes Ubuntu popular is that can customize your interface and as an open source product - you can collaborate with others and shape the software the way you want it. 

http://www.ubuntu.com/  is an African word meaning 'Humanity to others', or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. What I find interesting is not just the competitive challenge open source products present to business model's like Microsoft's. But Dell wouldn't be offering this option if the market wasn't clamoring for free tools like Ubuntu.  Our cultural ethos is increasingly valuing participation or in other words a democracy where all ideas are heard.  The democracy of genius at work.

While open-source products may be free, there are also costs involved; specifically the time it takes to learn the new product, navigate the community and customize what you want.  And perhaps there are costs to society as well in the form of lost jobs and productivity. Regardless, the popularity of open-source products also provides a window into the deep shifts in a culture in which virtually everyone and anyone can participate.