Large technology companies require software shared freely on the web to solve technical problems every day. However, Latin America has very marginal participation in this sector. Only 2.6% of the contributors who run an open-source project are Latin American, while only 2.5% of the contributions to Apache come from this region.
Open source contributors do not yet reflect the wide audience of users of these technologies.
Github
The first Open Source Software Contributors Summit will seek to encourage the participation of Latin American technology professionals in open source projects and promote the advantages of being a contributor to change this situation.
Guadalajara, one of the cities that has boosted the digital economy in Mexico, will host the event where 500 developers from the region are expected to participate on September 14 and 15.
During the two days of the Summit, there will be six conferences and more than 30 workshops for programmers to make contributions to the projects. The presentations will be in both English and Spanish languages.
The Open Source boom in the digital economy
Currently, 78% of companies take advantage of Open Source Software and even promote it. Only Google has 2K open source projects that are used by other people and companies. For example, Airbnb and Dropbox used the Artificial Intelligence software developed by Google TensorFlow to analyze written text and catalog photos. The Android operating system is based on GNU-Linux and has an open-source version.
The popularity of open-source in business has not served to gain investor confidence. Few ventures capitalists have seen the potential of companies that have Open Source as a central part of their business model. They have described Red Hat company, acquired by IBM for $32 B, as a unique case. However, the premise that equates to open source software as non-commercial software acquires more counterexamples. Companies like Mulesoft, MongoDB, and Elastic have reached valuations above four billion dollars.
Technology analysts increasingly accept open-source companies have unique strengths. By publishing the code of their products, companies allow the developer community to participate in the improvement of their product and save on the cost of development. Currently, 55% of companies believe that open source software is more secure, and this figure is expected to reach 61% in the coming years.
Contribute to Open Source to boost your professional development
Experts point to open technologies such as Kubernetes, Apache Beam, Apache Spark, Gnome, Drupal or node.js as some of the most influential today. Engaging in open source projects allows developers to increase their technical skills and professional prestige. The developers also meet new colleagues around the world that enable them to discover growth opportunities.
The organizers of the Summit estimate that the majority of the attendees will be professionals, students, and academics in technology areas. Researchers and technological entrepreneurs interested in knowing and taking advantage of development and open source communities will also participate.
In the coming years, entrepreneurs and developers in Latin America who have the knowledge and ability to implement open technologies will see their growth opportunities expanded. Some of these technologies could quintuple their growth in the region by 2025, according to a study by Esticast Market Research.
The CCOS includes four content tracks offered by projects of the Linux Foundation and the Apache Software Foundation, one of the most influential organizations in the free software community, to become more familiar with these technologies.
Participate with paid per diem
With the objective that more people contribute to the development of open-source, CCOS organizers will offer per diem scholarships for those interested in participating and living outside Guadalajara. Fill out an online application to apply for one of the grants.
“Companies are leaving money on the table by insufficiently serving a developing market with great potential.”
Google Research about Open Source community
For more information on the agenda and registration to attend CCOSS, check the website.