In the world of software, your best bet is open source software – usually – because, it comes free, has been developed by a community, and everyone working on it, depends on everyone else to review what they are doing to make it better. So you have heard of Open Source Operating Systems (Ubuntu, SuSE, CENTOs), Office Suites (LibreOffice and OpenOffice), Mobile OS (Android) and some of the coolest tools in the technology world today (Linux Core, Apache, PHP, BIND)…you can run out of breath listing.
At the core of it, these cool tools are developed using the “open source model” – open source as a development model promoting:
a) universal access via free license to a product’s design or blueprint, and
b) universal redistribution of that design or blueprint, including subsequent improvements to it by anyone
But is there such a thing as open source, outside of software? Yes. We can engage aspects of life – all of life – “the open source way”.
Imagine a global understanding towards expressing a desire and willingness to share, to collaborate with others transparently. Imagine an understanding where failure is seen as a means to improve, and where all of us are constantly looking to improve. Where we go out of our way to make others better at what they are doing.
In being a part of Global Health Corps, I feel like GHC, in a way, is open-sourcing a new kind of work force to fight global health inequalities. ICT experts, architects, accountants, public health specialists, fresh graduates, you name it – all of us can contribute to the global health equity movement. The solutions are no-longer churned out only in medical school, they are traversing the globe in all sorts of shapes and forms and careers.
The Open Source way means we all commit to play an active role in improving the world, which is possible only when everyone has access to the way that world is designed. The world is broken in many places, but, together, we can all design the best parts of the world, and open source them to the utmost end of the world.
The world is full of “source code”—best practices, blueprints, guidelines, recipes, rules —that shape the way we think and act in it. I believe this underlying source code (whatever its form) should be open, accessible, and share-able!
Well, back to the technology, we can also develop real solutions, for Health, while using open source tools. Student example Here, as well as the world-famous OpenMRS.