Open Source in Today's World
The first article I read is titled "How I teach physics using open source tools" by Christiano L. Fontana. I knew that open source software helps developers, but hadn't fully considered how it would help people in other professions. Because teaching is so personal, and methods are so subjective, open source software would be a very compatible and resourceful tool for teachers to tech more effectively and yet still in their own way. The author states that he uses many different open source tools to teach physics, and that when he came across a better solution for his method, he would simply switch tools or change the tool himself.
The second article I read was "Quantum Computing, the Open Source Way" by Jaouhari Youssef. While this article mostly covered the topic of quantum computing itself, it did raise some important points. The most important takeaway for me was the fact that the concept of open source will not be limited to just traditional computing as we know it, but it will carry over as computing evolves into the next generation of computers (i.e. quantum computing). Organizations such as the Quantum Open Source Foundation are helping to expand the development and use of open source tools in quantum computing. Another takeaway from open source tools being used in quantum computing is how FOSS is used to educate individuals in computing. The use and availability of open source tools in quantum computing will play an important role in helping people understand how it works, and allowing them to apply their knowledge to this very new and unexplored technology.
Between these two articles, it become clear that open source software is a very effective tool in educating people. The fact that some teachers will only use software if it is open source because it has to be modified to fit their needs, and that one of the main sources of educating people in the field of quantum computing could mean that software might be solely open source in the future.
"How I Teach Physics Using Open Source Tools" https://opensource.com/article/20/1/teach-physics-open-source
"Quantum computing, the open source way" https://opensource.com/article/19/10/open-source-quantum-future
