Peter Norton taught me how to write IBM PC software, again by giving me code that works. Same on the Macintosh, and every other platform I've coded for, including the Web. The View Source command in the Web browser makes it virtually impossible to hide the secrets of the Web. You can always find out how something works. That's part of the magic of the Web.
Programming is a human endeavor, an artistic one, like writing or music.
The art is in the process. Whether or not it makes money is often secondary to the purpose. The primary purpose is to make the world a little smarter, and to get the good feeling that comes from playing a part in that. Free source code releases, or open source, are an essential part of being a programmer, and it dates back to the beginning of programming. It's not a new thing, and not complex.