---
title: FOSS Like A Boss
teaser: 'It''s possible you''ve seen the abbreviation while looking for a note-taking
  app or for alternatives to Google Maps. But what is it?

  '
tags: open source,how to,overview
author: EJ Mitchell
published_on: 2021-10-21
---

Let's get the abbreviation out of the way first: FOSS stands for [Free
Open-Source Software](https://freeopensourcesoftware.org).

And yes, it's actually free. Free downloads, free updates, free services.

But it is also free to audit the code. That's because it's **open source**.

As citizens, we pay a price for the goods and services we use in our day-to-day
lives, even if that price isn't monetary. The very bones of how we organize our
lives revolves around someone profiting off of a product or service they create.
At its very core, that is the definition of capitalism. Let's take a look at
some examples of this in the tech world.

Spotify has a subscription if you don't want ads; you can't even use Netflix
without creating an account and if you want to use it beyond the week's grace
period, you need to pay.

Facebook and other social media platforms are free to use, but the cost of its
use [is more insidious than just a few dollars per
month](https://time.com/6104863/facebook-regulation-roger-mcnamee/).

What's more, you will not find the source code for these apps on GitHub or on
any other platform that allows you to peruse repos.

Sure, some of them (e.g., Facebook) create products like
[React](https://github.com/facebook/react), which they then use to build their
apps. But the apps themselves are shielded from view.

Unless a whistleblower comes forward, you have no idea how the company is using
the data you provide it.

So, where does that put FOSS and where does that put us, the consumers?

FOSS breeds a community of like-minded individuals who often build apps out in
the open, and if you don't like something about the app, **nothing is stopping
you from forking it and building on it yourself**.

It also allows you to contribute to software that you use on a daily basis just
as you would any other repo someone might have public on GitHub or similar site.

The exciting part of this is that you know *exactly* how the app is working
whether it is on your phone or from the comfort of your laptop's browser. You
know where your data is being used, how it's stored, and if the way it's stored
sends up red flags for you.

While all of this is well and good, because these apps are free, the developers
of these apps pour thousands of hours into their codebase and don't get paid for
it. Unfortunately, money is what everyone needs to pay for rent, get food, among
other necessities in their day-to-day lives.

As a result, some of these repos get put onto maintenance mode - or worse, are
stopped entirely, because the developer cannot afford to maintain it, no matter
how much help they may receive.

This is where donations come in. If you can spare a few dollars a month, you can
often find a service (e.g., [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/) or [GitHub
Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors)) on the developer's page where you can
put it towards their livelihood and wellbeing. It might get them a coffee; it
might also go towards paying for their child's dental care.

The point being that it shouldn't matter where the money goes, just that they're
able to continue to have access to a sustainable life while also providing this
service to you and countless others.

And plus side for you is you get a service you like, you know where your data is
going, and it is free for you to use! Also consider that your donation is going
*directly* to the developer instead of to a company that will suck up most of
the profit before even considering one developer after it's lined the pockets of
its millonaire (or even billionare) CEOs and their investors.

If you are not able to contribute monetarily, donating time to improve the app
is also an option. **You don't even need to be a developer yourself to do
this.**

Some FOSS creators are looking for researchers or people to report on
their experiences using the app. It not only helps them not to have to pay for
user testing, but it also means you get to have a direct influence on how the
app's experience grows.

As you can see, working with FOSS can be a win-win: you get the app
that you want and the developers get to work on something that they are
passionate about.

On a larger level, it cuts out the middle layer of larger corporations that
thrive off of selling your private data to the highest bidder, which puts you at
risk.

The FOSS community needs you as much as you need them! Together we can fight
against the negative, profit-driven turn of the services we have come to rely
on - and have fun in the process. 🥳