What Open Source Really Is (and Is Not)
ℹ️
The Definition Most Get Wrong
Open source isn't just "code you can see." It's a philosophy, a legal framework, and a culture—all in one.
The Three Pillars of Open Source
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE THREE PILLARS OF OPEN SOURCE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ LICENSE │ │ COMMUNITY │ │ CULTURE │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Legal │ │ People who │ │ Shared │ │
│ │ permissions│ │ build & │ │ values & │ │
│ │ granted │ │ use the │ │ practices │ │
│ │ │ │ software │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────┼─────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ OPEN SOURCE │ │
│ │ SOFTWARE │ │
│ └─────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘What Open Source IS
Transparent Development
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TRADITIONAL SOFTWARE │ OPEN SOURCE │
├───────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│ │ │
│ Decisions behind closed doors │ Discussions in public │
│ │ issues & PRs │
│ │ │
│ Roadmap hidden │ Roadmap in public docs │
│ │ │
│ Bug reports internal │ Bug reports public │
│ │ │
│ Code review private │ PRs visible to all │
│ │ │
│ "Trust us, it works" │ "Here's the code, verify" │
│ │ │
└───────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘Collaborative by Default
Open source projects invite participation:
- Anyone can contribute — If you follow the process
- Anyone can review — Code reviews are public
- Anyone can fork — Create your own version legally
- Anyone can learn — The codebase is your classroom
The Ecosystem
┌──────────────────┐
│ End Users │
│ (Millions) │
└────────┬─────────┘
│ use
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ The Software │
└────────┬─────────┘
│ built by
▼
┌───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ Maintainers │ │ Contributors │ │ Companies │
│ (2-10) │ │ (Hundreds) │ │ (Sponsors) │
└────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘
│ │ │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┘
│
┌────────▼─────────┐
│ The Community │
└──────────────────┘What Open Source Is NOT
❌ It's Not Free Labor for Companies
⚠️
Know Your Worth
Many companies benefit from open source. That doesn't mean you should work for free on their products. Be aware of the dynamic when contributing to corporate-backed projects.
❌ It's Not a Shortcut
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I'll contribute for 2-3 months and get hired" | Career impact takes 1-2+ years of consistent work |
| "My first PR will be merged quickly" | First PR reviews often take 1-3 weeks |
| "I'll become a core contributor fast" | Core contributor status takes 1-2+ years |
| "Maintainers will mentor me" | Maintainers are busy volunteers |
❌ It's Not Always Welcoming
Toxic Communities Exist
Some projects have:
- Hostile maintainers
- Cliquish communities
- No documentation
- Abandoned codebases
Before investing time:
- Check the Code of Conduct
- Read recent issue discussions
- See how maintainers respond to newcomers
- Look for "contributor-friendly" labels
The Open Source Development Model
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OPEN SOURCE DEVELOPMENT FLOW │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Issue │───▶│ Fork │───▶│ Branch │───▶│ Code │───▶│ PR │ │
│ │ Created │ │ Repo │ │ Create │ │ Changes │ │ Submit │ │
│ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └────┬────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Released│◀───│ Merged │◀───│ Approved│◀───│ Review │◀───│ CI │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Changes │ │ Runs │ │
│ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ │
│ │
│ ◄──────────────── Time: Days to Weeks ────────────────────────────────► │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘License Types at a Glance
| License | Can Use Commercially | Must Share Source | Attribution Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Apache 2.0 | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| GPL v3 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| BSD 3-Clause | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| LGPL | ✅ Yes | ✅ For modifications | ✅ Yes |
| AGPL | ✅ Yes | ✅ Even for SaaS | ✅ Yes |
💡
License Matters
Understanding licenses helps you know your rights and obligations. MIT and Apache are permissive; GPL is copyleft.
The Philosophy in Practice
Transparency First
Before asking a question privately, check if it should be asked publicly where others can learn.
Patience Always
Before pinging a maintainer, wait at least a week for a response.
Humility Required
Before arguing about your PR, consider that maintainers know the codebase better than you.
Gratitude Matters
Before complaining, remember maintainers are unpaid volunteers.
Key Takeaways
Open Source is:
- 📜 A legal framework (licenses)
- 👥 A community (people)
- 🤝 A culture (values)
- 📖 Transparent (public everything)
- 🔄 Collaborative (anyone can contribute)
Open Source is NOT:
- 💰 Free labor
- 🚀 A shortcut to anything
- 🤗 Always welcoming
- 📚 Just code