Today’s edition of Sourceforge’s Sitewide Update includes a great comment from Director Patrick McGovern about the relevancy of Open Source software during the American invasion of Iraq.

“…in this time of global political uncertainty, it is good to be reminded that Open Source software has no boundaries. The work you do on your Open Source project benefits countless individuals and nations in every corner of the globe. Regardless of location, faith, or race, developers are collaborating together to create software that will not only benefit themselves, but all of humanity. At a time when it’s hard to see something positive in the news, remember in our own way, the Open Source community is making a difference.”

An encouraging thought for those of us who are committed to developing and (in my case) evangelizing Open Source solutions. My job, and the jobs of developers around the world, can seem irrelevant when laid against the backdrop of earth-shattering international events. But in the end, we can each only do so much – and for those working to make Open Source software available to everyone (even the people of Iraq), their contributions should not be trivialized.