Heyy traveler!
Take a quick look at this scrawny list of projects I have prepared below.
- React
- Vue
- TensorFlow
- Kubernetes
- Bazel
- Apache beam...
Tell me, what do you think all these projects I listed above all have in common?
If your answer was something like "hey koha, they are used by a gazillion humans around the globe"
Woohoo! you are right - here's a virtual high five.
Another thread that ties them together is that all these projects you see above and many more I obviously didn't list are Open Sourced. What does that mean?
In this ranticle, I will reveal to you the gospel of open source and also answer a few frequently asked questions about open source.
What is Open Source?
Open Source is a term used to refer to whatever you can share freely, modify as you like, and that's because anybody can have access to the design and ingredients that make up that project or product.
What then is Open Source Software (OSS)?
Let's use the idea from the brief explanation of open-source above. Open Source Software is just software that is available to be modified by anyone, can be shared freely and you can see how it works.
That's the category you would find projects like React, React Native, Vue, and all other band of amazing software built by contributors around the world.
And In fact, most people prefer using open source projects in their work because of the benefits that come with it like stability, the community, and control. That's beautiful.
Can I contribute to open source?
Yes! Yes! Yes! You can absolutely do that. Open-source software relies on superhumans like you to evolve and get better.
Anyone can add value to an open-source project. Whether you can code or not. I would write about this particular case next.
Where can I find an Open Source project to contribute to?
Cool! You could head over to Github. Search for open source projects, literally, and get a list of projects you could spend some time scouring over.
Google is another helpful place to look as well. Just type in open source projects in the search input and follow the links.
Conclusion
Open source is an exciting phenomenon that I have fallen in love with. The community, the people, and the value my contribution brings, sends me happy vibes. So If you haven't contributed to an open-source project, please consider it.
I hope this has helped get you excited about open source.
Until next time,
Koha