Why Open Source Can Be the Perfect Place for New Developers – and How to Get Started, with Deb Goodkin from the FreeBSD Foundation

The Scrimba Podcast

Meet Deb Goodkin! Deb is the Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation. The Foundation supports the FreeBSD project and community. FreeBSD is a powerful open-source operating system known for its reliability and security and used by companies like Netflix to power their servers and networks.

With a strong background in engineering, Deb is passionate about open-source technology, and after this episode, you might become passionate about it, too! In this episode of the Scrimba podcast, you'll learn how a complex project like FreeBSD works from an organizational standpoint, why open-source is a great place for even newer developers, what are the key differences between community-driven projects and working for a corporation, and where should you start if you're looking to get into open-source.

🔗 Connect with Deb

• 👩‍💼 LinkedIn

⏰ Timestamps

• What is FreeBSD? (01:19)
• What is the FreeBSD Foundation? (02:49)
• Open-source projects vs. commercial projects (04:04)
• Open source is a nourishing place (07:04)
• Some original BSD developers are still working on the project decades later! (07:46)
• Open source is a community (09:35)
• How can contributing to open source help a newer developer advance their career? (11:25)
• Community break! (14:08)
• What skills do you need to join an open-source project? (16:23)
• Start with documentation! (18:42)
• How do you interact with others working on an open-source project? (21:20)
• Are people more likely to help others who help themselves? (24:05)
• Quick-fire questions! (27:26)
• How does an open-source project like FreeBSD run?
• If you're listening and want to get into open source, do this! (38:13)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• FreeBSD Foundation
• FreeBSD
• Jon 'maddog' Hall on Linkedin and Twitter
• Kirk McKusick on YouTube
• Michael W Lucas on Mastodon

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