The Importance of Open Source Software and Hardware

12-10-2023

Open Source Hardware and Software has been around since the 50’s (yes you read that right) and since then, it has become fundamental part of every computer system. Whether it is it your kernel (Linux, Hurd), your bootloader (Grub, OpenBLT), your browser(Gecko, Chromium), even your electronics (Arduino, Adafruit)! But what exactly is open source and why is it so damn important?

What is open source?

To be able to follow through the article we need to vaguely define what is open source. Open source is software / hardware that its code / blueprints are open for everyone to see. Most commonly, open source projects are hosted on GitHub and GitLab in which users can participate in the project's development.

What are the benefits of open source?

Software-wise, the benefits of Free Open Source Software (FOSS) are the following:

•Tailored Customizability
With the source code available to each consumer, developers can tweak the software's tools to fit their needs.

•Community Support and Collaboration
We have already talked about this, but with millions of developers with different professional (or not) backgrounds contributing to the project there's no error that can't be resolved.

•Free Software is Secure
With hundreds of thousands of commits that some projects have, it is safe to say that the probability of a zero-day exploit is next to zero. Committed fans of a FOSS project do everything they can to prevent a fatal bug or exploit.

The following benefits are hardware-wise:

•Not Limited to One Manufacturer
Because the blueprints and instructions of Open Source Hardware are free for everyone, consumers can make the product by themselves or pay a company of their choice to manufacture it.

•Cost-Effective Solution
With the consumer paying only for the manufacturing costs, a huge brand cost is avoided.

•Repairability
Because the documentation for the project is available, repairs can be done with relative ease from common users. What’s more the project is usually made with the user in mind, so it can be way easier than a proprietary device.

Conclusion

In conclusion, open source software and hardware offers a number of significant benefits. It is more customizable, secure, and cost-effective than proprietary solutions. Open source is also essential for innovation, as it allows developers to build on the work of others and create new and innovative products and services.

As open source continues to grow and mature, it is likely to become even more important in the future. More and more individuals and organizations are realizing the benefits of open source, and are adopting it in their own work.

last updated: 12-10-2023