Why Open Source is so Important
This is the transcript I gave for the above talk. View the slides here.
Have you ever been on Spaceship Earth in Disney World? It’s “The Golf Ball” in Epcot Center and it’s one of my favorite rides on the property. If you haven’t, Spaceship Earth is not some crazy thrill ride like a roller coaster you’d find at Dorney Park. It’s a journey through the history of Earth; specifically how we communicate.
There are several great moments from our history on this ride, but I want to tell you about 3:
- The loss of the Library in Alexandria. Julius Caesar set some fires around Rome in 47 BC and one of them reached the world’s library. A lot of the information we had at the time was lost. Many believe we were set back considerably by this.
- The creation of the Moveable Type printing press. Around 1450 AD, this device made it easier than ever to create books. This lead to an information explosion that ushered in one of our greatest times in history: The Renaissance. That lasted 300 years!
- The invention of the internet. I guess that brings us to today. Before memes and angry rants about politics and Pokemon Go, we used the internet to quickly disseminate research to institutions all over the country. The internet is the new world’s library.
Why am I pointing these events out? They all have something in common; these events deeply impacted how we shared information, and therefore how quickly we as a people moved forward.
Think about where we would be today if we hadn’t lost most of what the world knew to fires in 47 BC. Perhaps even further along than we are now.
And now think about where we are now! Information right at our fingertips. You can fact-check me, right now, from your seats (please don’t). The internet is the new world’s library, not just the world’s crazy uncle at Thanksgiving.
What does this have to do with Open Source? Open Source helped us get here. WordPress powers 25% of the web. That’s 25% of websites that can publish and share information thanks to Open Source. But that’s not all.
Today I’m going to talk about 4 pillars of Open Source that make it so important. And the first one is sharing information.
Open Source means Sharing Information
The roots of Open Source are those of the moveable type or the creation of the Internet: when you share the useful information you have, things progress a lot faster. Open Source software lets us not only develop cool things, but make the code for those things available for everyone to look at! This is the way I learned how to make websites.
I would go to a website I liked, look at the HTML and CSS that made it look that way, and copy and manipulate it. I would try things and learn from others’ work. With WordPress and other Open Source projects, people can do that with any codebase.
How many of you are in higher-ed? If you don’t know, Banner is a larger information system that powers a lot of higher-ed institutions. Up until very recently, it was built in PL/SQL. Know what that is? Me neither. It’s old. It’s bad. And you could tell. BANNER stagnated for while. But recently they started sharing more information, and getting feedback. Banner is in a lot better place now.
The reason WordPress is still so strong and getting stronger 13 years later is because it’s open source.
When in Rome
Speaking of Rome, did you know it had one of the longest lasting Democratic Republics? This history of Rome is actually really interesting, but I mention this because for a long time it’s governing system was the same as one we’re very familiar with: The United States of America.
Now I know things seem pretty bad right now, and no country has a perfect history, but one of the greatest things about the good old USA is the seemingly unprecedented power it gave to its own people. In a world of monarchies, the USA decided on democracy and the ability to empower its people. Over time, more people were empowered, vast social change took place, and more is taking place today. The great thing about the USA is that if we don’t like something, we can change it. Open Source is the same way.
Open Source means Software Democracy
WordPress has evolved quite a bit since its humble beginnings in 2003. This is due in big part to feedback and contribution from the community. People wanted features and features got added. Through plugins, even more can get added relatively easily.
One of the driving factors of our founding fathers to create this new nation, Thomas Jefferson in particular, was equality. And for us to achieve equality, Jefferson felt all people should have access to a number of things, including land, and education.
As our country moves forward, we try to make even more accessible to every citizen. Health Care, higher education, transportation, and the internet to name a few. No matter how you feel we should get there, many agree that it comes down to what Jefferson and our other founders knew 240 years ago: Through access, there is opportunity.
Open Source creates Accessibility
The top Content Management Systems are WordPress and Drupal. Both are open source. Lower (much lower) on this list is ExpressionEngine, the CMS used by Barack Obama when he was running for president in 2008. That’s some good PR, so why is it so unpopular? Both WordPress and Drupal are open source, free, and much more accessible.
I should specify: Open Source doesn’t always mean free…but it usually does. ExpressionEngine on the other hand, is $299. Not a ton of money (especially if you’re building a business on it or running for president), but still a barrier. Many folks who are creating their own websites or starting a new business aren’t willing to shell that out; WordPress is much more accessible to them.
A Melting Pot
Today in America, we have a diverse group of people, cultures, and thoughts. The freedoms afforded to us by our forefathers helped create what is truly the world’s melting pot. Each of these groups has something in common: they are part of a strong community. I come from an Italian family. We have great traditions and a deep culture that connects us and helps us bond with other people who share those traditions.
In High School, like many of you I’d imagine, I was looking to branch out and find other communities to be a part of. I joined Drama Club and was on the Track & Field team (I was MUCH better at one of those than the other). I made friends I still have today, and the same thing happened in college. Being part of a community is important.
Open Source means Strong Community
WordPress has a strong community. I have a lot of friends because of that community. I’ve grown personally and professionally because of it. I have my job because of it. It might be the most important aspect of Open Source. See, our strong community lets us to do a few other important thing too.
- Share Information
- Give everyone who wants one a voice
- Be accessible to those who need us
If you have been part of the WordPress community like I have, I want to thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you, and neither would WordPress. And if this is your first WordCamp or you’re new to the community, I want to say this on behalf of everyone here: Welcome.
