Breaking down complex ideas and simplifying them for the average listener is a skill in itself. Imagine if you have to explain to a kid, say a five-year-old, what open-source technology is. Rather than think of it as a way to dumb things down, consider it as one of the Meta engineering manager interview questions you might encounter. If you can explain the technology and the kid understands it, chances are you know open source like the back of your hand.
What is open source?
If open source were a toy, it’s something that is shared with everyone instead of locked away and out of reach.
- It uses different building blocks to create an entire software or application
- Those blocks can be redesigned, redefined, and developed into something else
- Everyone gets to use those same blocks and make them better
An open-source creator builds the blueprints or the source code of a specific program, and then makes them public, for others to learn from and improve.
How is open source different from free source?
Nearly all open source is free, but there’s more to it than the idea of zero cost
- Free, for example, free software means you don’t have to pay anything to use it, but you’re not free to change any part of it.
- Open-source programs can be likened to a recipe where anyone is allowed to modify them to develop something else.
It all comes down to the permission to modify and tinker with the source rather than the cost. There’s also free and open-source software (FOSS), which refers to licensed software that can be treated like open-source code. If proprietary software is under lock and key, FOSS is the complete opposite.
Why is open source good?
It unlocks doors to many new applications and programs and brings out other benefits that even people who don’t write code can enjoy.
- Fosters new learning every time someone looks under the hood and finds strategies for modification
- Supports faster program development with more people adding new features, fixing bugs, and enhancing security
- Builds and establishes trust since anyone can check if the program has the essential features to deliver the results promised
- Creates a community of people working together to improve a specific blueprint or code
Mozilla Firefox, Linux, and Wikipedia are just some of the real-world examples of open-source software. While a child may not yet fully appreciate what these programs offer, knowing what they are at a level that they can understand will open their eyes to a different world. With that challenge out of the way, are you ready to ace your next technical interview? Interview Kickstart can help.
