Open Sourcing

Open source software is amazing. If you are not familiar with the term "open source" it is the practice of freely distributing the source code of software. This allows normal people to add to a program or fix a bug they come across. The practice stems from the idea that the collective brain is smarter than an individual one.

This concept really is a bit lost today in our society. Everything seems to be a secret nowadays that people have no issues about charging for. For example, Microsoft charges hundreds of dollars for their Windows operating system and think of all the complaints that you have heard or even given about it! Have you ever said something to the affect of "If I was writing this software I would change this or fix that..." That is exactly what the open source community offers.

Imagine the next time you get an error message pop up from Windows, that you restart the computer, go into the source code, and fix the error. Then, you tell everyone about your fix and give them a copy for free. They would absolutely love you! This happens daily with programs like Blender, Gimp, and Open Office.

Thousands of people out there use these programs, find ways to improve them, and then actually do it. Not only do they actually do it, but they come out with new versions on a regular basis (available for free) that fixes bugs and adds features.

All of these programs have huge web followings, so even if you don't program yourself, you can drop in to one of these forums (the people in these forums are actually nice!) and post what you found or think needs improvement. There will be someone there who will A.) Thank you for your suggestions and B.) Actually write the code and release it in a new version eventually, then give it to you. It's absolutely amazing!

It's also really inspiring to me. I am a constant learner and these programs (Blender and Gimp in particular) have given me something to learn without becoming broke buying professional software. I am most definitely not an artist, but I really enjoy designing things and showing them off. I also enjoy getting feedback on everything with ways to improve.

In a way, I am open sourcing my life, parts of it anyway. I hope to post some projects that I've been working on, so I can keep track of my progress and so I can get some comments about them. I hope you enjoy it!