Open Source: A Friendly Guide for New Developers

This article is written for first-time developers — a friendly, practical introduction to help you understand open source and take your first steps.

Open source powers much of the software you use every day — from operating systems and developer tools to the websites and services you depend on. If you’re a new or first-time developer, open source is an incredible way to learn, contribute, and make real-world impact. This short guide explains what open source is, how it differs from other models, why it matters, and how you can get started.

What is Open Source?

Open source means the source code of a project is publicly available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute. This encourages transparency, peer review, and collaboration. While the code is open, projects still use licenses that define what others can do with the code.

Open Source vs Free Software vs Commercial

Before we compare them, here’s why the distinction matters: different projects have different goals and rules. Some focus on making code easy to reuse and build on, others focus on protecting users’ freedoms, and some are designed mainly to make money. That changes what you are allowed to do with the code and how the project is run.

In simple words:

• Open source: you can see and usually modify the code — specific rights depend on the license.
• Free software: strong emphasis on the user’s freedom to run, study, change, and share the software.
• Commercial software: typically built to generate revenue; it may be closed-source or restricted.

Quick comparison	Open Source	Free Software	Commercial
Main idea	Code is public and reusable	User freedoms are protected	Built to make money (may be closed)
What you can do	Read and modify (depending on license)	Run, study, modify, and redistribute	Often limited unless vendor permits it
Who builds it	Community contributors + companies	Communities and activists for software freedom	Companies and paid teams
Friendly for beginners?	Yes — great for learning by reading real projects	Yes — teaches important values, but legal terms matter	Sometimes (paid support helps), but source may be hidden

These categories overlap — for example, an open source project can also be free software, and companies often offer commercial services around open source projects.

A Brief History

The culture of sharing software predates modern open source. Key milestones include:

• 1983: The GNU Project launched to create a free Unix-like OS.
• 1991: Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel, sparking widespread collaboration.
• 2000s: Distributed version control and platforms like GitHub made contributing easier and more social.

Together these developments shaped the modern open source ecosystem: collaborative, distributed, and accessible.

Life-Changing Open Source Projects

Open source has produced tools and platforms that changed how we build software — and many are things you already use every day. You don’t have to be a developer to benefit: many smartphones include Android components that are open source, millions of websites run on WordPress, and popular apps like VLC and Firefox are open-source projects. If you’re a developer, these projects’ code is public and you can read or contribute; if not, you can still help by reporting bugs, translating, or donating.

• Linux — the backbone of servers, mobile devices (Android), and cloud infrastructure.
• Git — the version control system used by millions of developers.
• Python and Node.js — languages and runtimes powering huge swathes of applications.
• Java & Android (AOSP) — Java is a ubiquitous language used for backend systems, Android apps, and games (Minecraft was originally written in Java); Android’s open-source components power many phones and devices.
• WordPress & Forem (dev.to) — WordPress powers a large portion of the web for blogs and sites; Forem is an open platform for developer communities and publishing — both demonstrate community-driven publishing.
• VS Code (OSS core) — the editor’s open-source core is used widely by developers; community extensions thrive on it.
• Firefox — a modern web browser focused on privacy and extensibility; its codebase is open and accepts contributions.
• VLC — a versatile media player that supports countless formats and is community-driven.
• 7-Zip — an open-source file archiver used for compressing and extracting files.
• qBittorrent — a community-maintained BitTorrent client commonly used for peer-to-peer file sharing.
• LibreOffice and GIMP — open alternatives for productivity and image editing.
• OpenGL and Vulkan — graphics APIs used in games and graphics applications; they power much of the visual software you interact with.
• Kubernetes and Docker — changed how we build, ship, and run applications.
• Blender — open-source 3D modeling and animation software used in films and design.
• OpenStreetMap — volunteer-built mapping data that powers many navigation and location services.

These projects are not just technologies; they’re products you’ve likely used — so the question is: if you can run them, why not read or change their code? That direct connection makes open source especially inviting for first-time contributors.

Licenses and Their Nuances

Licenses determine what others can do with your code. Choosing a license depends on your goals (encourage wide adoption, preserve freedoms, or limit certain commercial usages). Common license families:

License family	Examples	Key points	When to choose
Permissive	MIT, BSD-2/3, Apache 2.0	Minimal restrictions; Apache 2.0 adds a patent grant	When you want broad adoption and easy reuse, including commercial use
Copyleft	GPLv3, AGPLv3	Requires derivative works to use the same license (AGPL extends to network use)	When you want derivatives to remain open-source
Source-available / Custom	Business Source (e.g., MariaDB BSL), commercial dual-licensing	Limits certain uses (e.g., cloud providers); may not be OSI-approved	When you need specific commercial protections or staged openness

For a broader list of licenses see Open Source Initiative or the SPDX license list.

Each choice has trade-offs between adoption, control, and community expectations.

How Commercial Support Adds Value

Commercial offerings around open source help organizations use projects reliably at scale. Typical commercial services include:

• Long-term support (LTS) and enterprise builds: stable releases with extended maintenance and security patches.
• Service-level agreements (SLAs): guaranteed response times and dedicated support for critical incidents.
• Managed/hosted offerings: cloud-hosted versions (e.g., MongoDB Atlas, Elastic Cloud, Redis Enterprise) that remove operational overhead.
• Integration, consulting, and training: help with architectural design, migration, and bespoke integrations.
• Security and compliance: coordinated security advisories, backported fixes, and assistance meeting regulatory needs.

Well-known examples include Red Hat (enterprise Linux support), MongoDB (enterprise features and Atlas), Elastic (Elastic Cloud and enterprise plugins), and Redis (Redis Enterprise and hosted services). Paid support funds maintainers and organizations, improves documentation and testing, and underwrites the work that keeps widely used projects healthy.

That said, commercial models sometimes introduce trade-offs: features may be gated behind paid tiers, or licensing changes can create tension with community expectations — so transparent governance and clear communication are important.

When Commercialization Causes Friction

Sometimes monetization strategies trigger community pushback. Here are a few concrete cases you may have heard about:

Vendor licensing shifts (Java/Oracle): Oracle changed the terms and long-term support model for its Oracle JDK binaries, which led many organizations to switch to community OpenJDK builds or paid commercial distributions. The change shows how vendor licensing can push users toward community-maintained alternatives (see OpenJDK: https://openjdk.java.net/).

Cloud-provider tensions and re-licensing (Redis, Elastic, MongoDB): Some projects moved parts of their code to more restrictive or "source-available" licenses (or SSPL-style terms) to stop cloud providers from offering managed services without sharing revenue. Those moves caused forks, ecosystem disruption, and heated debate — for example, Redis’ 2024 relicensing of certain modules and the later discussions about returning to a more permissive stance (see Redis announcement and coverage: https://redis.com/blog/introducing-redis-enterprise-modules/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Side_Public_License).

Platform policy changes (Chrome Manifest V2 → V3): Platform or policy changes can also affect ecosystems. Chrome’s move from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 changed extension APIs that many ad blockers relied on, prompting privacy and developer concerns and wider discussion about platform power (see the Chromium docs and coverage: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/ and https://www.license-token.com/wiki/ublock-origin-dead-in-chrome).

These examples show why transparent governance, clear communication, and diverse funding models matter — they reduce surprises and keep communities resilient when business needs change.

How Developers Can Help Sustain Open Source

You don’t need to be a core maintainer to have high impact. Ways to help:

• Contribute small fixes: docs, tests, or tiny bug fixes labeled “good first issue”.
• Report clear bugs and include steps to reproduce.
• Sponsor or donate to maintainers and organizations that support projects you rely on.
• Help with triage and reviews to reduce maintainer burden.
• Share knowledge: write blog posts, give talks, or mentor newcomers.

Together these actions make projects healthier and more sustainable.

Getting Started — A Simple Roadmap

A. Create your own project (learn by doing):

1. Start small: a focused utility, library, or tool solves a real problem.
2. Choose a license (see table above) and add a clear README.md and LICENSE file.
3. Add CONTRIBUTING.md, issue and PR templates, and a short roadmap to guide contributors.
4. Publish the repo (GitHub/GitLab) and announce it in relevant communities; welcome feedback.

B. Contribute to an existing project (learn from others):

1. Pick a project you use and read its contribution guide and code of conduct.
2. Look for labels like good first issue, help wanted, or docs.
3. Start with documentation, tests, or small bug fixes to build context and confidence.
4. Communicate clearly: describe your changes, link tests, and be open to reviewer feedback.

C. Be helpful, not a nuisance: small, respectful, well-explained contributions win friends. Avoid low-effort or noisy PRs and follow the project’s contribution norms — a good reminder is this tongue-in-cheek example: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/1o0iqf6/lookingclosely/.

Open source is welcoming — start small and grow your impact over time.

Conclusion

Open source offers an incredible way for new developers to learn, contribute, and shape software used around the world. Start small, be consistent, and you’ll find that helping others also accelerates your own growth.