Open Source 101

03/19/22 • 71 min

By popular request, we're getting as fundamental as we can in this episode with a back-to-basics primer on as many open source concepts as we could come up with, which we hope will lay the groundwork for future episodes. Ever wonder about the difference between a branch and a fork, the ways copyright interacts with code, how open source extends beyond just software, or what makes a Linux distro a Linux distro? This episode is for you!

Notes

If you want to demystify software licensing, look no further than https://choosealicense.com/ and https://tldrlegal.com/

The FOSS Pod is brought to you by Google Open Source. Find out more at https://opensource.google, and learn more about their event detailing Kubernetes' move away from Dockershim here: http://goo.gle/LKL22

Notes

If you want to demystify software licensing, look no further than https://choosealicense.com/ and https://tldrlegal.com/

Previous Episode

The FOSS Pod Manifesto

Three episodes in, we figured it was about time that we talk over our own origins with open source software, and then ponder the present and (attempt to) predict the future of FOSS for everyday people. Listen on for some reminiscing about Sparcstations, Will's time in a penguin suit, and our earliest tries at using Linux on the desktop, an examination of some previously corporate tech that's now being democratized in open-source form, and more.

Here's Will's old Maximum PC chronicle of using 2005-era Linux (in a penguin suit):

https://books.google.com/books?id=rwIAAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA52#v=onepage&q&f=false

The FOSS Pod is brought to you by Google Open Source. Find out more at https://opensource.google

Next Episode

Project North Star With Bryan Chris Brown

We've often said that open source is for more than just software, and on this episode Project North Star's Bryan Chris Brown is here to prove it with a freely available, modifiable design for an augmented reality headset you can build yourself. Join us for a discussion about topics like the ins and outs of open hardware design, sourcing parts from unlikely places, printing lenses out of resin, doing architecture work in the Unreal Engine, how standards like OpenXR fit into the picture, and a whole lot more.

Check out Project North Star's extensive community documentation, and follow Bryan on Twitter.

The FOSS Pod is brought to you by Google Open Source. Find out more at https://opensource.google