Open source for non contributors

Image: tux2.png, commons.wikimedia.org; Author: lewing@isc.tamu.edu

Narration: Welcome to Open Source: Contributing for Non‐Coders.

1

Narration: The purpose of this lesson is to help those of us who are not programmers and
do not write computer code to understand what Open Source is, why it’s worth your time,
and how you can contribute.

I, the author and narrator of the lesson, am not a coder.  But I have found Open Source
software, hardware and data as well as the concepts that drive them useful in my personal
and professional life.  That’s why I’ve creating this Creative Commons licensed lesson and
uploading the source files, as well as the finished product, to the web. [**location TBD]  At
the end of the lesson, see the Resources page for more information on accessing that
material.

2

Narration: In viewing this lesson, I want you to be able to understand Open Source as an
idea, to be aware of the different options in Open Source resources, and to understand
what the process of becoming part of an Open Source Community can require.

First, let’s take a look at what Open Source is.

3

Interaction: Prezi available via picture link; transcript of audio available via interaction
button  Audio will be added during development.

Narration: Click on the picture to view the Prezi, then use the arrows at the bottom to
navigate the presentation.

Full content of presentation

Narration for a total of 14 slides as follows:
Slide 1:  Welcome to Open Source Tools, an extremely brief introduction, where I hope to
begin answering the question, What is Open Source?  I call this an extremely brief
introduction because it is.  Open source is a vast concept, a vast movement, and we will
only touch on aspects of the idea of open source, and a few fun tools to get you hooked.

Slide 2: So what is open source? A difficult question to answer.

Slide 3: Open source includes FOSS, free and open source software, available for download
on the internet, such as Ubuntu, an open source operating system comparable to
Windows, or like Gimp, an open source image editing software comparable to Photoshop,
but it’s more than only shareware.

Slide 4: Open source is an idea, an idea supported by a community of individuals dedicated
to creating a sharing ideas, resources, and products in order to help each other create
more.

4

Narration Continued
Slide 5:  That’s what it’s about, sharing our expertise to create something great, something
better than we can create alone.  Open source is an idea, an idea which applies to all
professions, arts, and products, because we’re human, and we all have something to
contribute.

Slide 6:  You might be thinking, What about profit?  Doesn’t profit drive innovation?  Profit
does drive innovation, but profit doesn’t necessarily mean closed source, or proprietary.
Many internet companies and innovators have found that an open model makes more
money using service agreements (where users pay to get tech help) or advertising than
having customers pay for their products.  Other innovators make a living off of donations
from interested users of their products.  Of the top 10 Internet Millionaires under 30, Mark
Zuckerberg of Facebook, Blake Ross and David Hyatt all used Open Source Software to start
their projects.  DeviantArt allows users to publish their art under Creative Commons
licenses, giving people the right to choose how their work will be used.

Slide 7: You might be interested to know that Linus Torvalds, the father of the open source
Operating System, who build the Linux kernal, the base of every linux operating system
when he was just 21 years old.  Linux is what we call a group of operating systems that are
available for free online.  Some of the best programmers in the world contribute to the
Linux kernal, providing a free Windows and Mac alternative for users worldwide.  While
Linus Torvalds doesn’t make money on every system that uses Linux, Red Hat, the company
he started makes approximately 1.2 billion dollars a year.

5

Narration Continued
Slide 8: Open Source means Options.  It means that you have a variety of tools that you can
use at little or no cost to create a variety of projects.

• You can create vector graphics including cartoon strips, avatars for video games and
illustrations with Inkscape.
• You can edit pictures with Gimp.
• You can mix and create audio tracts with Audacity.
• You can use Scratch to program your own basic video games and animations without
programming experience.
• You can build your own computer with parts and run it on Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch, all
Linux Operating Systems.
• You can even build your own program off of existing open source code and share it with
others.

There are so many possibilities.

6

Interaction: Text will appear with narration.  User will click to trigger animations.

Narration: Getting involved can be simple, but it’s important to let it happen at a pace
you’re comfortable with.  There’s no reason to rush.

The first step is to get comfortable using open source tools and the instruction,
documentation, and troubleshooting tools that come out of such projects.  If you have an
old desktop or laptop that still works, but doesn’t have enough power to do what you want
it to, try installing Ubuntu on it.

Conferences can be a great place to meet other users and developers, and to learn more
about new tools.
Once you’re ready, start looking for your project.  How you contribute and when is up to
you.

7

Interaction: Pictures linked to product websites; Named links to additional resources
described in narration.

Image: Ubuntu_logo.svg, commons.wikimedia.org
Link: http://www.ubuntu.com/

Image: Gimp_Icon_svg.png,
http://www.fotolibre.org/displayimage.php?album=71&pos=48
Link: http://www.gimp.org/

Image: The Scratch "logo" and mascot., commons.wikimedia.org, Author: MIT‐Lifelong
Kindergarten Group http://scratch.mit.edu/img/gr_logo_scratchr.png
Link: http://scratch.mit.edu/

Narration: There is a phrase used to explain the difference between zero cost, closed
source software and Open Source software.  Free, as in free beer, is used to refer to
projects that are zero cost, and may even include open source code, like Facebook and the
Mozilla browser, and Open Source projects like Linux operating systems, Gimp (a photo
editing software) and Blender (3D animation software.

The pictures are for some of my personal favorites.  For further exploration check out the
link at Top 100 of the Best (Useful) OpenSource Applications.  The list was compiled in

8

2008, but most of the tools are still updated regularly by contributors. For newer projects,
take a look at the PC World Article 10 New Open Source Projects You May Not Know About
from January of this year.

8

Interaction: Named links to additional resources described in narration.
Image: Conference at PEACH, http://commons.wikimedia.org

Narration: While some Open Source Conferences can be very expensive, and the total cost
depends on your proximity to the conference, many local Universities sponsor less formal
conferences and “unconferences” for a reasonable fee. Most are specialized conference for
user groups or professionals, but POSSCON, located in Columbia, South Carolina, and
OSCON in Portland, OR are both relatively broad conferences.

Check out Jeff’s Open Source Resource for a wider range of conference options.

9

Interaction: Clicking on a square opens a text box

Narration: On the screen you’ll see examples of the ways that different types of open
source projects can be developed , these aren’t all of the ways to start a project, but
they’re the most common.  Click on a square to learn more about that stage.

Interaction Written Content:
The Idea:

A Computer Program: Software programs are often designed by individuals or groups of
programmers.  Sometimes Open Source Software projects begin with other Open Source
code, but many are completely original.  Some programs are replacements for proprietary
software, but many new proprietary projects begin with ideas drawn from Open Source
projects as well.

A Hardware Project:  Open Hardware projects include any type of material project that has
plans or instructions which can be posted online and replicated by another person.  Open
hardware projects almost always begin as a design created by an individual.  Open
hardware projects can begin from scratch, with completely unique components, like the
original 3D printers, or they can be designed with components like the Arduino board, an
inexpensive processor that can be used to create a variety of projects.

A Research Project:  Open Data usually comes out of some sort of research or survey.  This

10

can be a scientific study done in a variety of fields for the purpose of publication, or a survey
like those done by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Digital Content:  Open Content can be anything you can upload to the internet, including
photo, video, written, or audio content.  Online you can find thousands of creative commons
and public domain licensed instructional videos, music, art images, and published articles
available for free.

Digital content is an area in which you have to pay close attention to the licensing to make
sure you’re allowed to use the content in the way you wish.  For example, while an Open
Journal article is free as in free beer, it is not free as in free speech, meaning you can read it
at zero cost, but not take the content as your own.

Design:

Planning the Logic: Code doesn’t simply happen, well, most code doesn’t.  Just as in any
other project, planning out the logic of a coding project avoids a lot of restarts and wasted
time.

Drafting the Plans:  All projects require planning.  For open hardware this typically means
drafting the plans for creating the project itself.

Planning the Method: Research projects and surveys require a lot of planning in order to
reduce bias.  Planning projects that will result in Open Data is no different, as the conclusions
of the original authors will typically be published prior to the release of the data.

Planning the Project: Most content projects also improve with planning.  Papers are often
better organized when they come from an outline, music when it is written first.

Development:

Coding the Program: There are many different coding languages.  Developers must agree on
the language to be used for the particular code, and if more than one person is coding, who
will put it all together.

Building the Project:  Open Hardware projects usually attempt to keep the materials simple,
something that most people could purchase without undue hardship.  As Open Hardware
projects become more numerous, more complex projects are published.

Completing the Study: For Open Data projects, this is the point at which the data is gathered
en mass.  The final product that it published will not change much from this stage.  This is
because any data gathered may be used in a variety of ways.  Publishing the data itself allows
others to view it from different angles.

10

Creating the Content: Open Content projects may be completed in a variety of ways, unique
to the creator and the medium.

Testing:

Fixing the Bugs: Coding requires editing, just like any other project.  Often the community is
brought in at this stage, even in proprietary software, for beta testing.  In exchange for an
early/free trial of the product, the user agrees to report bugs that he/she finds in the
software.

Tweaking the Prototype: Even physical projects require finishing touches, changes to the
appearance, structure and fixing mistakes can improve the final product.

Analyzing the Data:  The original researchers will take the gathered data and analyze it for
patterns related to the study design.  They will then take the analysis and create content, in
the form of a publishable paper or conference abstract, and disseminate the results of the
study.  Unlike the other Open project types, the analysis will not affect the data published.

Adding the Finishing Touches: Regardless of the type of content being development, revision
and finishing the project is an important step.  Photographs can be cropped and touched up
to advantage, papers are edited and revised, and audio can be enhanced and background
noise removed.

Community Engagement:

Publishing the Code: Once the project is finished, the code is then published to one of
several repositories available on the web for Open Source Code.  The code can be used in
other projects, as licensed.  Many projects are published on the web and maintained by the
original coder/coding group, other programmers then come in a contribute bug fixes, new
plugins, add‐ons, and material to help improve or expand the original project.  This type of
project is what most people think of when they hear Open Source.

Publishing the Plans: Once a project is finalized, the plans and instructions can be stored in a
repository online so that others can download them and create a copy of the original.
RipRap, a 3D printer, is a great example of a project that can be downloaded for free and
built for a few hundred dollars.

Publish the Raw Data: Many government sources have examples of data that can be
downloaded, included census numbers.  Data is published without analysis or tables.  If the
data has be framed in a particular context, it is now open content.

Publishing under a CC license: A CC or Creative Commons license allows the user to publish
content for the use of all, while still putting limits on how the content can be used.  Creative
Commons licenses include content that can be used only as a whole piece, in pieces or as a

10

whole in new projects, only for non‐commercial projects, or combinations thereof.

10

Narration:  Once you feel comfortable, you can start considering the kinds of open
source projects you might want to contribute to.  Start simple, basing your search
on projects you use regularly, so that you understand what it is, what users need,
and how you might interact with the current community and the project itself.

Think about what skills you have that might help with a project.  Projects don’t end
with the code; instruction, documentation, and example projects are always needed
to help new users understand the project.  If you are good at showing others how to
use technology, try instructional videos or step‐by‐step guides for finishing projects.
If you’re good at media, consider designing a logo.  If you love using the tool, create
an example project and work with someone else to design instructions so others
can see how you created it.

Later, consider new projects that are similar to those you’ve used before, looking for
projects that will benefit from your expertise.

11

Interaction: Named links to additional resources described in narration.

Narration: One of the items often glossed over in considering joining an open source
community, it the community aspect.  Communities are made up of people, and all groups
of people have variety and therefore communication problems at times.

Be prepared to face negative comments and frustration at first.  Some contributors have
little patience for new users and contributors, but most people will be helpful if you keep a
calm and respectful demeanor.  It’s also ok to get discouraged and quit for awhile.  This is
supposed to be fun, as it’s something you’re doing on your own time.  If it’s not, try
another project.

Women have a particularly difficult time in Tech in general and Open Source in particular.
It’s a barrier.  We’re working on breaking the barrier down, but it takes time.

When you’re ready to start coding, a mentor is a good way to ease into the community.
You can find one at one of the links onscreen.

Remember that you’re not alone, all contributors were once in your position.  Take Heart.

12

All content that is not attributed was created by Ann Bryson‐Eldridge for this instructional
module.

Interaction: Links to References/Resources

Narration: For further information and to get started, check out the links onscreen. Open
Source can be a fun and educational experience.

13

Open source for non contributors

More Related Content

Similar to Open source for non contributors (20)

More from abeldridge (6)

Open source for non contributors