For Tech's Sake

v1.10: An open and shut case

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Episode notes

Do you realise how much of the tech we rely on is maintained by volunteer coders? This isn't just Wikipedia. A plethora of everyday tech would collapse if not for the noble commitment of open source developers. And they are beginning to show their force in the form of protest, sabotaging their own code to send a message to the Big Tech corporations that profit from it.


We brought in Dr Colin Keogh to tell us about about open source in both software and hardware, as he helped to build out a team to design and develop open-source ventilators during Covid-19. He is also the co-founder of the consultancy Sapien Innovation and co-founder of the Rapid Foundation, a social enterprise which aims to disperse 3D printing technology to third world locations.


You can follow Colin @ColinJ_Keog on Twitter and you can also read more about open source on Silicon Republic. Here are some links to get you started:


https://www.siliconrepublic.com/topics/open-source/](https://www.siliconrepublic.com/topics/open-source/


https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/open-source-ventilator-project-coronavirus]


https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/nearform-cian-o-maidin-open-source]


https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/github-marak-squires-colors-faker-npm-corrupt-open-source]


https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/log4shell-flaw-ncsc-advice-cybersecurity]


This episode of For Tech’s Sake was hosted by Elaine Burke and Jenny Darmody, and brought to you by Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. Thank you to Megan Fox for production, Matt Mahon and Dall-E for our graphics, Claudia Grandez for her social media

support, and all at the HeadStuff team.


If you want to support The HeadStuff Podcast Network, for our sake, for tech’s sake and for many more great podcasts, visit HeadStuffPodcasts.com.


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