User:Aeong/Open Source Hardware And Software
Open Source is a broad definition that is often applied to technological hardware and software. In the case of hardware, open source refers to hardware that has it's schematics available for all to see, and is copyrighted under a non restrictive license that allows anyone to make, modify, and redistribute that hardware. Open source software refers to any software that has it's source code freely available to redistribute, modify, and in some cases sell. (streamline this a bit and be more descriptive if possible)
Importance of Open Source in Hardware
In the earlier days of modern technology, hardware was much easier to repair, and often had it's schematics semi-available to make repair easier. As Planned Obsolescence has taken root in the modern world, tech has become much more closed off, and become so hard to repair that it is often easier to buy a new device than repair it. This has significantly contributed to e-waste It has allowed corporations to gate-keep their knowledge, making it much harder to learn about sophisticated technology unless you are connected to them. Open source hardware isn't the full solution to this problem, but it can help democratize knowledge, make repair easier, and make replacement parts easier to obtain.
Importance of Open Source in Software
In software's infancy in the mid-20th century, all software had it's code made freely available for programmers to modify. But as time went on, software became more closed off for the sake of profit. With it's source code closed off, programmers could discreetly hide malicious code in their software. It also made software harder for anyone but the dev team to debug. Hackers stepped in to tried to report security holes in the software to the corporations who owned it, but these corporations responded by trying to get these hackers into legal trouble. In the modern day, many pieces of closed source software will spy on your activity and send that data to data brokers.
Important distinction
Open source as a concept has been co-opted by corporations, and has had it's meaning watered down over time (remove this entire line of text with something better, preferably with a bit of history first)