Contributing to open source
In the late 1990s, software developers looking to improve the availability and collaborative nature of software founded the open source movement. Since that time, open source software has grown in popularity. Its adoption ranges from personal usage to running some of the most critical functions of enterprise business. In 2019, Scott Hanselman blogged how an open source artificial pancreas is helping him and others live with Type 1 diabetes. Some of the benefits that are realized from using open source technology are as follows:
- Potentially lower cost (sometimes free can come with the hidden cost of supporting it yourself)
- For more popular packages, it can be easier to hire new team members who already understand your stack
- Code subject to public scrutiny and contribution tends to evolve in ways that are more robust, performant, and secure
- There’s less worry about whether vendor insolvency will leave you unsupportable
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