DEV Community

Cover image for What is Open Source and Why is it so Goddamn Popular? 🤯

What is Open Source and Why is it so Goddamn Popular? 🤯

Bap on May 23, 2023

tl;dr 💡 It create projects with a worldwide impact 🔒 It raises the bar for security 🔁 It accelerates development and feedback loops. 🧸 If the p...
Collapse
 
mogumilk profile image
MoguMilk

I really wanna get into open source as soon as I can I lack experience since I'm learning how to code, but I can't wait to contribute to as much as I can in the future when I learn a little more :>

Collapse
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap

Hey MoguMilk! That's absolutely brilliant to hear and I can tell you Open Source can't wait for you to join the party! We are creating an open source community on Discord so join if you want - all levels of programming are welcome: discord.com/invite/ChAuP3SC5H 😇🫶

Collapse
 
mogumilk profile image
MoguMilk

Ohhh okay I'll definitely join thanks for an invite

Collapse
 
a1xbrd profile image
Alex Bird

It's also nice to feel part of a community, especially if you're an early adopter. You can become an expert in a niche and useful project, you can find yourself talking with the core developers, making contributions yourself, working together with a talented team, and discussing ideas for improvements.

Collapse
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap

Excellent point! 🫶

Collapse
 
hendrikras profile image
Hendrik Ras

A good read on OSS.

The Readme file in your project could use some TLC by the looks of it.

Collapse
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap

Hey Hendrik! Good to hear you enjoyed the read 🫶 Hahaha yes that is very fair...🤣🥲 Maybe I could make a piece of content on best practices for TLC and show that repo as what not to do 😂. Thanks for the engagement partner. Let me know if there is any topics you would like me to write about in order to bring you value!

Collapse
 
hendrikras profile image
Hendrik Ras

Ah, but I see someone beat us to it here. Anyway. No worries, my github projects usually have the readme from some starter project that I never bothered to personalise.

Thread Thread
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap • Edited

Ah nice! Amazing article thanks for that! Haha same but shhh 🤫 no one should know 😌

Collapse
 
danrabbit profile image
danrabbit

Did you mention it is free? I would think that is very important.

Collapse
 
femi_akinyemi profile image
Femi Akinyemi

I think he's referring to the fact that the code is freely available for anyone to access, use and modify.

Collapse
 
danrabbit profile image
danrabbit

Yes for sure. If a company goes under, their product may be dead. But with FOSS, you can still build on it.

Thread Thread
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap

Yes the aspect that is free is mentionned in fact as one of the key words to remember! I really like the idea you provide though that if company goes under, you can still use the code. I think I will use that example to really hammer the point home 🔨🚀

Collapse
 
gerdaespinosa profile image
Gerda Espinosa

Really good article! It helps you understand OSS without being a software developer :) !

Collapse
 
fernandezbaptiste profile image
Bap

Thanks a lot for the comment Gerda - that's really great to hear! 💪😇