Happy birthday!

In late January 1998, Netscape surprised everyone by releasing the source for

Communicator, its web browser, making it readily available to all.

That marked the birth of a new term in software development: open source. Coined by Christine Peterson, its introduction was meant to “make this field of endeavour more understandable to newcomers and to business”, clearing the confusion that often accompanied the term free software, and “viewed as necessary to its spread to a broader community of users.”

Two decades later, open source is the driving force behind today’s rapid technological advancements. It powers leading products across all industries. It will continue to enable all of us to create, tinker and lead our future.

Open source thrives because of its collaborative and democratic nature, giving software developers and corporations the opportunity to work together directly on projects of common interests.

As someone who’s been a part of this community for only a few years, I’m regularly left in awe at what the open source movement achieves, and can’t help but wonder, what’s next?

Happy birthday, open source!