Open Source VS Free Software
“Every free software is open source, but Every open-source software is not free software.”
Free Software , the word itself defines that there is an extreme degree of freedom for the user to run, copy, distribute ,change, study and destroy! Thus, free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer. We sometimes call it libre software borrowing the French or Spanish word for free as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software is gratis
Some famous free software:
- Linux
- MS PowerPoint
Open source: How relevant is it?
The term open source refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible. Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. "Source code" is the part of software that most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer programmers can manipulate to change how a piece of software—a "program" or "application"—works. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly
Some famous members:
- VLC player
- Apache Web Server
Ways to contribute to an open source
A common misconception about contributing to open source is that you need to contribute code. In fact, it’s often the other parts of a project that are most neglected or overlooked. Coding is not the only way to be a part of open source. There are other contributions that are highly valued such as documentation fixes, designing etc. Of course, you can contribute code !
If there's a particular topic that interests you, visit github.com/topics/<topic>. For example, if you are interested in react, you can find relevant projects and good first issues by visiting github.com/topics/react
Non Code Ways
- Writing
- Designing
- Testing/Using
- Community managing
- Mentoring
Four open source events to start with
At first glance, contributing to the vast sea of open source might seem a little daunting, but here are a few events that can help a beginner ease into it:
HacktoberFest
The goal of HacktoberFest is to make four contributions to open source projects in the month of october. When four of your pull requests get accepted then congrats! You’ve officially completed hacktober. You’ll be rewarded with a badge to showcase on your [dev] profile, and can also choose between a t-shirt or a tree planted in your name.
[24 pull requests] (24pullrequests.com)
The name itself should be self-explanatory- the official website of 24 pull requests says their idea is simple- Send 24 pull requests between December 1st and December 24th. This year however, they count every kind of contribution to OSS
Girlscript Summer of Code
GirlScript Summer Of Code is a three-month long Open-Source Program conducted every summer by the Girlscript Foundation. This program is open to participants of all genders, age groups, and countries.The aim of this program is to help beginners in open source coding. So, whether you are starting your steps in coding or a veteran developer, you can participate in this program.
Google Summer of Code
The Google Summer of Code(GSoC), is an international annual program conducted by Google where they award stipends to contributors who successfully complete a free and open-source software coding project during the summer. The program is open to anyone aged 18 or over.
Becoming a successful open Source maintainer
To become a successful Open Source Maintainer, one must excel in many other activities beyond coding task. Maintainers should encourage the development of a community, help new members to find their place in the community, not accepting well-coded and well-tested patches that do not contribute to the goal of the project.
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