My Open Source Experience Podcast

It is undeniable that connections that are built in person are stronger, you can build trust faster and move conversations forward that were otherwise stuck. All this doesn't mean travel funding gets any easier to figure out.In this segment of the My Open Source Experience podcast Tom Sadler, Ildiko and Phil share their conference experiences and how it helped them to progress better in their respective communities and companies alike. And also touch on what effects openness has on innovation.Learn more about:- What you can get out of events, which is useful for not just you but also the company you work for- How you can improve your company's reputation through presenting at conferences- Why sticking to the group of people you already know is not a good idea- What is the hallway track, and why you have to prioritize it- How to share information within your company after attending an event- Why you have to bring your managers to conferences- 'Open Innovation' and why openness is a value multiplier

There have been a lot of conversations about funding in the open source space at conferences like FOSSY, and overall in the ecosystem.In this segment of the My Open Source Experience podcast Samson Goddy talks about the challenges in the open source space, and how opportunities are not equal based on where someone lives. For example, in Africa, even regular tech jobs are harder to access.Learn more about:- Challenges in the job market affect a person's overall open source involvement negatively- Volunteering is not part of every culture around globe- Educating about open source is crucial, and organizations like Open Source Community Africa (OSCA) have that as part of their mission- Who is a "true open source person"?

The software industry has been very fast paced none of us wants to be left behind, nor individuals neither companies.In this MOSE Shorts segment, Ildiko and Phil are chatting with Kelsey Hightower and exploring why open source is key for individuals and companies to ensure their success over time.Learn more about:- What slowed down innovation at Google in the datacenter space- The importance of simplicity- How proprietary software can put you behind- How building your social network can benefit you over time- The secret that will make you a successful speaker- How Kelsey got started in open source

Mindset and cultural change is hard in any topic area in any organization, and that is no different with open source either. It often boils down to fear. People aren't sure the new direction will wok out, they might misconceptions about it and in general they are reluctant to leave their current practice behind, whether or not it actually works.In this MOSE Shorts segment Federico Gonzalez Waite shares how leaders and CTOs in the Mexican government navigated through the changes that were required to be able to leverage open source solutions. And what fears and misconceptions he had to resolve on the way.Learn more about:- The two most common fears about relying on OSS- How to ensure that the right people are in leadership positions- Educating decision makers- In hierarchical cultures, like Mexico, it is challenging to initiate change from the bottom, and how to make it happen with open-minded managers

The steps of creating an open source project might be the same, but the experience is always different.In this MOSE Shorts segment Gregory Kurtzer shares the back story of creating Rocky Linux, and what challenges he ran into in the early days.Learn more about:- The affects of the license switch strategy on the open source ecosystem - The stability of the open source ecosystem- Choosing the right communication platform might be more challenging than you thought- Why people demanded to set up an independent foundation to support Rocky Linux

Software supply chain security has been on the top of minds lately, for a very good reason. With most steps depending on digital infrastructure, there are a lot of opportunities for cyber attacks to happen. At the same time, there is an often silent mistrust in open source software, because it is designed and developed in public environments. People think that because everyone can see the source code, and is aware of some of the bugs in it that aren't fixed yet, it somehow gives them the upper hand to carry out attacks against these projects. There's something odd about this perception though.In this MOSE Shorts segment, Wayne Starr shares his view on the state of software supply chain security in the open source ecosystem. He highlights the XZ incident, and how it was caught because the software was open source. He also highlights that this challenge is also present in closed source software, however, it is much harder to spot. This makes proprietary software even less secure, and you have to work twice as much to ensure that you are well protected when using it. Think about the "SolarWinds vulnerability" as an example.Learn more about:- Why the open environment is an advantage fro security perspective- SBOMs and their applicability and application in different ecosystems, like Go, Python or C- Why it matters how you release software- Can people still be hobbyists in the open source ecosystem?- User experience, air-gapped environments and the Zarf project- The productization work that turns open source projects into products- A case for experimenting with something in the product first, and then implementing it in the upstream project

The recent times in open source have been bringing some changes, which connects back to governments' recognition of the importance to protect the cyber space. As modern life depends more and more on connected digital infrastructure, cybersecurity has become the center of attention, and concern. All digital products and services depend on open source software to varying extent, which brings open source into the spotlight, and highlights everyone's responsibilities in maintaining not just their own proprietary code, but also the open source projects they depend on.In this segment on the My Open Source Experience podcast, Ria Farrell Schalnat, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Michael Dexter and Tom Sadler share their stories and experiences in the areas of legislations, CVEs and cybersecurity, sustainability of open source projects and InnerSource.

Open source isn't just for software developers. In fact, there is a large legal community that is focusing on licenses, intellectual property, legislations and more to understand how these all apply to open source, and what is enforceable and how. However, law and legislations develop and evolve on a very different pace than technology and open source, which makes the intersection of these areas rather tricky. Have you faced any challenges throughout your journey?In this My Open Source Experience podcast episode Ildiko and Phil explore the intersection of law and open source with Ria Farrell Schalnat. Ria started out as a computer programmer, then she ventured over to the field of law, but always stayed close to tech through copyright, intellectual property, and eventually open source. Ria has a comprehensive understanding of these areas and shares some of her experiences throughout her career journey that made a difference for her and the law firms and companies she worked for.Learn more about:- Why learning is not an exercise to do alone- Conferences are often underrated, and how you can organize one yourself if there isn't any available in your area- The conflict between how laws and legislations are created and how software, open source or proprietary, is developed- Why investing in upstream work and participating in open source projects are necessary to be successful- SBOMs and cybersecurity

Maintaining a local fork of an open source project is like maintaining an illusion. It only gives momentarily control and becomes expensive to keep up over time. Have you experienced that already?This My Open Source Experience podcast episode evolves around this topic and explores why and how to invest in open source projects, including how to pick which ones to rely on, what to consider when setting up your organizational structure, and why avoid maintaining local forks.- Austen Bryan covers the benefits of relying on OSS projects, and how to pick the right ones.- Samson Goddy talks about why roles like Developer Relations don't belong in the marketing department- Greg Kroah-Hartman shares why you don't want to maintain a local fork- Federico Gonzalez Waite talks about educating people about open source and guiding a large organization through an open source transition- Michael Dexter shares his thoughts and experience with regulations, patents. copyright laws and how they've been affecting software development and the FOSS movement- Tom Sadler shares the benefits of investing in upstream work, and why maintaining a local fork turned out to be a bad idea for his company