We recently published a piece here on the OCTO blog called Curious About Open Source at VMware? 5 Articles to Get You Started. This article explored the basics of open source at VMware via a collection of the 5 best introductory blogs on the Open Source @ VMware Blog.
For those now looking to dig a little deeper, we’ve got just what you need! Our bench of experts at VMware have written about some in-depth concepts within the open source world. Whether you’re looking for a maintainer’s perspective on the components of software, a wake-up call on the realities of open source deployment or just wondering what the fork an open source spork is, these five perspectives below take a deep dive into open source technology.
Spork! An Open Source Fork Utensil
The term “fork” in software is similar to a fork in the road: one base and two branches with that common base. When you have a fork in an open source environment and one of the forks produces a great feature that beats the features of the other forks, their customers can ask for that feature. Since the code is freely available, other forks can simply merge that code into its own fork and improve, becoming a spork. Steven Rostedt explains why forking around is good for open source projects.
When Likely Is Likely to Be Unlikely
A Linux kernel is coded in a way that it can accomplish tasks as fast as possible, but still be maintainable and reliable in its design. When it comes to understanding parts of the Linux kernel, there’s a widely used profiler: likely or unlikely. Known as macros, likely/unlikely are hints to the compiler, so that it can know the probable path of a conditional statement. Learn why an unlikely is likely to be correct some of the time in this article from Steven Rostedt.
A Maintainer’s Perspective: What Is Software Made Of?
Ask any software engineer what software is made of and you’ll wind up getting the same, predictable responses. Enter Darren Hart, who offers a bold new perspective on software. Darren’s philosophy is that software is made of “commits,” and he believes that thinking and talking about software with emphasis on “commits” as the fundamental building block will lead to considerably more maintainable software. Expand your preconceived notions of software with Darren’s fresh take.
There are many interesting crossovers between open source software and the fledgling world of open hardware, but it’s the people behind open source that John Hawley finds the most fascinating. In John’s mind, it’s not about how amazing an algorithm is or how prolific a project is. Sometimes, it’s about getting an LED to blink. Find out what he means in this great article.
Open Source Puppies: Love at First Sight Meets Deployment Reality
How is an open source project like adopting a puppy? No, that’s not the setup for a nerdy riddle – it’s actually an important question organizations should consider before deploying an open source project. When you get a shiny new open source project (or cute puppy) to play with, the excitement can supersede the reality of the situation. Like taking in a hyper pup who hasn’t been housebroken, adopting an open source project and actually deploying it can be a messy affair. Prepare yourself and do your homework, because your new bundle of joy will most likely be a handful.
For more resources around all things open source at VMware, check back on the Open Source Blog and follow us on Twitter @VMWOpenSource.
