Dekode <3 Open Source

Open source, or open source code, is more than a description of who can edit a computer program. It is a philosophy and a manifesto, which we at Dekode stand behind wholeheartedly. 

Being involved in an open source framework (such as WordPress) means actively choosing the open exchange of ideas and practical solutions, inviting collaboration and transparency in everything we do. By playing with open cards and hiding neither code nor knowledge behind a paywall, we open ourselves up to criticism, but what we get in return is so much more. 

The open source way

  • Transparency
  • Cooperation 
  • Community
  • Share solutions early and often 
  • Let the best ideas win  

The risk of giving potential competitors access to our code is more than offset by having access to a huge network of eager and talented developers who work on WordPress not because it's their job or to sell products, but because they enjoy it the. 

WordPress is much bigger than Automattic (the company that owns the WordPress brand). WordPress is a community. 

Before you say that this seems a bit idealistic and grandiose: It is precisely the open source ideal that has made the CMS the world's largest. 

Do you need a little primer in open source before reading on? Opensource.com has a nice one. 

Why do open source? And why talk about it? 

  1. Open source is good for the world 

Open source democratizes the best solutions. Many cannot afford to buy expensive, proprietary software solutions, which anyway contain a lot of junk they do not need. Open source solutions give everyone a chance to be competitive, regardless of their economic situation. 

A project in Zambia, for example, has given school students access to open source programs such as Linux, Ubuntu and cloud solutions, completely free of charge. 

It probably saved lives too. SHIS2 is a free platform for the collection, administration and analysis of health data , and the Open Data Kit does, among other things, that one can better cope with disease outbreaks. 

You may think that you "only" have a website built on open source code, but that has value in itself. The more people use it, the more both the technology and idealism are spread. So give yourself or a colleague a little pat on the back for that.
And if you are not yet using open source solutions: It is never too late to change. 

  1. Open source is good for you 

On your end, you get technical solutions that you are free to change, improve or build your own company-specific functions on top of. If you were building the same solutions with proprietary platforms, you would be much more bound by what you are allowed by the manufacturer to use them for. 

In addition, a natural outcome of open source is that the best solutions generally win out. There are many examples of proprietary platforms rolling out suboptimal solutions that nobody likes. Just buy yourself a new laptop and see how much so-called "bloatware" it contains. If you're lucky, you have some IT staff who cleaned up your laptop for scraps before you put it into use. Although it has also happened in the open source environment, it is extremely difficult to succeed with a bad product.  

Because it will quickly be picked up and tested by thousands of WordPress (or Linux or Drupal or whatever) developers who go through the motions and point out slow code, bad functions or clunky user experience. 

That speaks against open source 

Although we are most idealistic, we are also pragmatic. It is not yet all areas where open source has the best solutions. Google, for example, is a far better search engine than Metager. And Windows and macOS are increasingly user-friendly and easier to set up than Linux. 

So if a proprietary platform is clearly better at solving a specific problem, of course we use it. As long as HubSpot CRM is so far ahead of e.g. Vtiger it doesn't make sense to switch. 

But if there is a perfectly good open source solution, we prefer it Dekode always working on it. There are even open source AI models that are starting to approach ChatGPT . The future is open! 

Do you want to talk about your WordPress site with an experienced digital consultant? Feel free to send us a message via our contact form !

Talk to me about open source!

Black and white portrait of Vincent Hasselgard
Vincent Hasselgård
Advisor
+47 950 55 654