Howdy, Zengineers!
Did you know everything you do all day runs on software? Yup. It’s true. Everything. Well … I mean, not EVERYTHING, but pretty much everything. Your car. Your electricity. Your phone. Your computer. Your TV. Even our dishwashers and blenders, doorbells and lights, all run on software. There’s no way around it.
Software is powerful and enables the technologies we’ve all become accustomed to. But what’s so unique about it? Well, one of the primary drivers behind software’s viral spread is that once you digitize something, you can share it with everyone at almost no additional cost. The same cannot be said about the tires on my car, or the wood used to make my front door. Since sharing software is virtually free, free-software has come to rule the world. And, that’s Open Source. Software anyone can access, anyone can build upon, and anyone can get the benefit of… often, at no cost.
The engineers and designers behind the software that runs the world realized decades ago that innovation is enabled when these software solutions are shared openly and freely. Business can grow faster. Money can be made more efficiently. Lives can be made better… all because we share with one another, and collaborate on the world’s big problems through Open Source Software.
What a joy, you might say. So smart. So wonderful. I can’t believe it. Well … believe it. Your phone may have software on it that you paid for, but your phone simply would not work and, quite frankly, would not even exist, if it weren’t for people AND BUSINESSES freely sharing critical softwares systems with each other. This revolution is starting to come to other industries, as well, as the marginal cost of other technologies continues to be driven down. What an innovative and functional time to be alive. Who uses those words to express the thrill of life? Nerds, baby. Er… I mean, Zengineers!!
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as you enjoy all the Open Source Software enabled technologies that you’re using right now.
Support the show: http://support.zengineeringpodcast.com
Visit our website for more episodes: http://zengineeringpodcast.com
Cheers,
Adam & Brian
Show Notes
Wikipedia: Open Source Software: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
Wired’s Guide to Open Source: https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-open-source-software/
Unix v. Linux: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/unix-vs-linux/#:~:text=Linux%20refers%20to%20the%20kernel,family%20of%20derived%20operating%20systems
Top 10 Open Source Hall of Famers: https://www.cio.com/article/3404462/top-10-open-source-hall-of-famers.html
--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/zengineering-podcast/support100 - On ChatGPT and The A.I. Future - with Ramsay Brown
099 - On Star Trek TNG (Mostly Commander Data).
097 - On Breaking up Big Tech & The Data Economy
096 - On Superheroes & Comic Books
095 - On Wolfram's Theory of Everything
094 - On Dice
093 - with Dorna Moini - On Access to Justice
092 - On Cognitive Bias
091 - with Alexsandra Guerra of Nori - On The Stories of Climate Change
090 - On Apple and Encryption Backdoors
089 - with Mike Rosolio - On Video Game History
088 - On Government - Part 1 - An Operating System for the United States
087 - with Sam Rad - On Blockchains, Supply Chains, and Paradigm Shifts
086 - with Peter Dering - On Peak Design, Kickstarter, and Living Carbon Neutral
085 - with Jeffery A. Martin - On Happiness, Fundamental Wellbeing, and Flow States
084 - On Stuff - Headphones
083 - with Greg Kieser - On AI Superintelligence
082 - On Curating A Media Diet
081 - with Bethany Simpson - On VR, Egypt, and the Future of Education
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