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Well if you have read my first blog (What is Open-source?), After introducing what open-source is, we left a question unanswered:
Why would a person put his/her app into the open world to modify, use and make changes to?
To answer that question we have to know exactly how open source works. Open-source software is simply stored in a public repository and shared publicly. Anyone can access the repository to use the code independently or contribute improvements to the design and functionality of the overall project.
If you're already worried about the term "repository":
A repository (aka repo) is just a storage place for your files on the internet using a Web-hosting service like GitHub or GitBucket etc.
These files may be:
code files like (.py, .js, .c, .html, .css ) for any other programming language extension you know.
data in a variety of forms including Excel spreadsheets, hierarchical databases etc
text files with the .txt extension
Images of your friends and family and many other things.
Now this is where the fun starts!! When your software is open source, it is recommended that it includes a software license that tells others what they can and can't do with your source code, so it's important to make an informed decision.
You are under no obligation to choose a license. However, without a license, the default copyright laws apply, meaning that you retain all rights to your source code and no one may reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from your work, I strongly encourage you to include an open-source license. The Open Source guide provides additional guidance on choosing the correct license for your project.
Why do people consider open-source anyway?
These are the reasons why people consider having a hand in the open-source community:
Control
- Many people prefer open-source software because they have more control over that kind of software. They can examine the code to make sure it's not doing anything they don't want it to do hence changing parts of it they don't like. Users who aren't programmers also benefit from open-source software because they can use this software for any purpose.
Training
Other people like open-source software because it helps them become better programmers. Because open source is publicly accessible, students can easily study it as they learn to make better software.
Students can also share their work with others, inviting comments and critiques as they develop their skills.
When people discover mistakes in programs' source code, they can share those mistakes with others to help them avoid making those same mistakes themselves.
Stability
- Many users prefer open-source software to proprietary software for important, long-term projects. Because programmers publicly distribute the source code for open-source software for critical tasks can be sure their tools won't disappear or fall into disrepair if the original creators stop working on them. Additionally, open-source tends to both incorporate and operate according to open standards.
Community
- Open-source software often inspires a community of users and developers to form around it. This is not only in open-source; many applications are the subject of meetups and user groups. But in the case of open-source, the community isn't just a fanbase that buys in (emotionally or financially) to those who produce, test, use, promote, and ultimately affect the software they love.
Conclusion
And this is how open-source works, projects are shared with the whole world to see and use which has some benefits to the contributor and the author of the software because, to be honest nobody's perfect and in your software, there's going to be some issues that you may not see but don't feel bad about it.
Even developers at big tech companies like Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google etc always bake up software with bugs but guess who identifies these bugs, it's other users and other developers around the world.
I hope you now have a hand in how open source works.
Get ready for the last article on the part of the introduction to Open Source which will explain how getting into the open-source world will make you a better developer so stay tuned for that.
Thanks for reading until the end!! Wish you an impeccable journey in the tech industry.