Week 3

10 Things You Should Know about Open Source Before You Use It

Some of the ten statements discussed in this short article are things I might have thought before taking this course, and some I still might not have realized. Let me write what I have learned so far with respect to these statements. For example, did I know that it is not always free of cost? Let me try to be specific and try to give examples.

  1. It’s not just for Linux
  2. It’s not always free
  3. It may or may not have support
    • I have never thought about support for open source projects before. I just perceived that if I had a problem with using any particular program or hardware, there would be a place to ask for help until I use Surge. A few weeks ago, I discovered Surge when I was looking for a way to put my small application up on the web. People recommended this site, saying that I can use it for free. So, I tried to install it, but I had a problem with getting it on my computer. I was looking for a customer center to try to solve this problem, and there was something new kind of support system that I didn’t expect. The support that I can get from this open-source program is to either join their Slack to ask a question for help or asking via Twitter.
  4. You have full access to the source code
  5. Open source is not just for programmers
  6. You aren’t breaking any laws by adopting open source
  7. You don’t have to be an expert to use it
  8. Most open source software is as reliable as its proprietary counterpart
  9. Freeware and shareware are not the same as open source
  10. You’re probably already using it

     

What I Have Done This Week

  • Read An explanation of the Open Source Way
  • Learnt examples of Open Source beyond software: Open data, open hardware, open government, open education
  • Followed the OpenStreetMap editing tutorial and tried to complete at least one edit to the map
  • Learnt an introduction to Version Control System and Git
    • What is a version control system?
    • What is Git?
    • What is GitHub and how is it different from Git?
    • How can you work in Git on your local machine and synchronize your work with copies of it elsewhere, such as on GitHub?
  • Read the Pro Git book
    • Ch. Getting Started
      • Installing Git
      • First-Time Git Setup
    • Ch. Git Basics
      • Getting a Git Repository
      • Recording Changes to the Repository
  • Read the instructions in git-activity-01
Written before or on September 18, 2019