Open Source Software Explained like it is Pasta

Oluwanifemi Daramola — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:19:46 +0000

Open source, open source. What is open-source software?

My dear mentor at HOTOSM, Kshitij explained this to me using a food I like, which is pasta and I would like to share it.

Open-source software is any software whose make-up(source code) is available for anyone to see and contribute. Like pasta, anyone can make it. You can make it however you like. You can add different ingredients to it which can be likened to adding features to open source software.

Being open-source doesn’t mean free. Open-source software is not synonymous with free software. Let’s hit it home with pasta. That anyone can make pasta doesn’t mean that pasta will be free. Cooking pasta costs me effort and resources, and I could charge for that. Likewise, it is the same for software, it could be open-source but not free.

If however, I have a restaurant where anyone can come in to help cook pasta to distribute freely to people, that is what you will call Free and Open-source pasta. This is mostly the case with most open-source projects.
Do a quick check. Check if your favourite applications are open-source and appreciate the community behind them.

How about proprietary software? Think about your favourite restaurant to eat pasta. I assume you don’t know how to make it taste like theirs, as you don’t have their recipe. You can’t walk in there to add ingredients to it while they cook because you are not a chef at the restaurant. That is the opposite of open-source. You can’t access the make-up(source code) and you can not add to it. Proprietary software can either be paid or free. Just as your favourite restaurant can either charge you for their pasta or give it to you for free (winks).

I hope this short explanation was worth your read. Let me know.

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Oluwanifemi's Day 1 of Forever

Oluwanifemi Daramola — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 20:00:25 +0000

The people I admire the most used to be healthcare professionals, like my eye doctor. Once, I spent a good time telling him how he was making lives better. I mean he helped me see better. That was noble to me.

Now you know my new set of favourite people? They are the ones who have chosen to dedicate their time to improving people's lives with open software. They come in different forms: open-source contributor/volunteer, maintainer, committer (I just learnt of this, courtesy of Open Source Guide).
These people come together with the shared goal to build and improve software whose source code is available to everyone. As opposed to private proprietary software.

Read more on Open source vs Proprietary software here.

It is with joy that I share that I will get my first experience contributing to open-source for the next 3 months. Through the Outreachy internship, I was selected to work with HOTOSM from May to August 2024.

Outreachy is a paid internship that supports underrepresented individuals in tech to contribute to open-source projects.
And HOTOSM, the organisation I will be working with uses open mapping for humanitarian purposes, providing map data to aid in disaster management, community development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

I have had a great first week with HOTOSM. I have received warm welcomes from my mentors, fellow intern and our coordinator.

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This explains how I felt when I received the news that I was selected. I had put in a lot of effort during the contribution phase, but there were many contributors, so I wasn't sure about the outcome. I am incredibly grateful to have been selected, and I'm also thankful for going through the contribution phase because it taught me to concentrate on tasks and get things done, no matter how many people were working towards the same goal.

This is day 1 of forever making an impact through my work. I get to work on projects that will directly impact lives. I have long envisioned this and I am excited to begin.
My name is Oluwanifemi, and I am now among my favourite group of people 😊.

My core values are compassion and optimism.
I am driven by compassion for those in unfavourable conditions.

I also value optimism. I hope all things, I believe all things.
Some people describe me sometimes as one who puts their head in the clouds 😂 (I must add though that it is not to the point of being counterproductive. Just enough to help me dream lofty dreams).

Writing requires so much effort, so I will stop here for now. Stay tuned for more updates about my internship as I have so many things to share.

DEV Community: Oluwanifemi Daramola

Open Source Software Explained like it is Pasta

Oluwanifemi's Day 1 of Forever

Gasping For Me GIF by Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team - Find & Share on GIPHY