Open Source Coding

When thinking about the concept of “open source” and hearing it, I think of code that is collaborative in nature as anyone is able to access, view, and edit it under specific licensing terms. Not only that, but users are able to contribute to the main codebase once reviewed and approved by others. I also envision a Google Document where users have the ability to edit, suggest edits, comments, make changes and make copies of the original document. Though not exactly open source or as strict as code bases that may need approval before the main codebase is actually changed, “open source” to me is something that promotes collaboration.

In other words, “open source” coding is very beneficial and advantageous. It allows users globablly, of all levels of experiences and worldviews, to interact and contribute to a project. It diversifies its code and allows for multiple unique customizations. Though there are disadvantages and problems such as fears of slow work, lack of dedicated contributors, or security vulnerabilities that may appear due to multiple user interactions, “open source” projects can vary depending on the community it is open to. Thus, though there may be advantages and problems of “open source”, it’s cost and contributions from user will impact it’s success.

Thus, in learning and understanding all of these feature of open source, I was greatly inspired to register for this class. I’m excited to work along my peers to collaborate on existing open source projects and futher understand the purpose and value of these projects. Not only that, but to have multiple people working within a project to improve teamwork and understand how a career may be realistically as there usually isn’t only one person working on code.

Open Source Projects Involvement

In thinking about my involvement in open source projects, my mind drew a blank. I was geninuely so confused, beleiving that I didn’t actually use any. However, with research, I realized that I actually do engage in multiple open source projects. More specifically:

• GIMP:
  • GIMP is a free image editor that allows size conversion and image modificaiton. I use this program when I want to change the sizing of image while retaining the quality of it.
• VSCode:
  • VSCode is my go to development tool, I’ve been using it since high school, and it’s user interface has allowed me to easily edit and write code for most if not all of my classes. I appreciate how easy it is to connect to github and my repositories. It makes collaboration more fun and simple.
• Wikipedia:
  • I love to use Wikipedia for a multitude of reasons. Whether it be reading a sypnosis of a movie or finding additional resources for a paper, Wikipedia is a great resource that is detailed, yet not too descriptive in order to give the main points of the content. I have not yet contributed to the writing of the page, but am excited to, especially with topics that I feel I am personally well informed in.
• Jupyter Notebook:
  • I was first introduced to Jupyter Notebook in my Linear Algebra class. Though it’s interface can be a little confusing, I liked being able to create and share computational documents. It made it easier to understand data, run code, and edit documents all in one place.
• WordPress:
  • I also use WordPress to build websites for fun. It’s simple interface allows the chance to drag and drop features for the website but also write code to further customize widgets to my wants.

Course Reflection and Thoughts

Overall, I’m really excited to further engage in the class. I had a great time in the first one as I felt that the energy of my peers and the collaboration is going to greatly inspire me to stay engaged.