Answer. Change creates incompetence.
Whether on the vendor/integrator side, the customer side or along the strategic advisor line, OSS projects bring about constant change; massive change.
I’ve often wondered why I can feel so incompetent in the world of OSS, even though I know more about it than (probably) any other topic.
The answer has just dawned on me, as per above – change creates incompetence. There is so much change happening on so many levels within OSS that every one of us is a freshly-minted incompetent, no matter how much prior competence we may’ve built up.
And this defines the double-edged sword of OSS. The pain of feeling incompetent drives the thirst for learning / evolution.