Well, "nothing" may be a slight exaggeration. But I know little enough that wasn't aware Java and JavaScript are two different things.

Open source requires SOME understanding of computers, but really, you don't have to understand economic theory to see the benefits of joining a union. I don't know much, but I value privacy and I am old enough to see how tragically profiteers have broken the web. People smarter than me assure me that Open Source tends to be more secure, more private, harder to abuse and that all seems like a good idea to me. I've helped out with lots of Community contribution projects like Wikipedia, Open Street Maps, Open Clip Art, etc. and I see the good that Creative commons does, which is a philosophical cousin of Open Source. So, yeah, I understand Open source insofar as I understand its importance, even though I really don't know enough to contribute much other than cheerleading :)