A Journey Through Open Source: From BBS to Virtual Reality

Back in the 90s, sharing code was quite different. Most exchanges were conducted through BBS messages, as the internet as we know it today did not exist. Personal computers would connect to one another via phone lines, a far cry from the interconnected web we have today. Licenses and legalities were not the primary focus back then, nor did they concern many individuals.

Greed and the Birth of Licensing

However, there were greedy individuals who took and shared code without giving anything back. Thankfully, someone explained to me the importance of licenses and contributions to the Free Software Foundation. Useful programs from this era were either developed by those who contributed to the Free Software Foundation or shared snippets as was the custom.

Richard Stallman's explanation on licenses and image by Sasa Zec provided a foundational understanding. My first official open source contribution was a small fix to the ttysnoop utility in Linux, in around 1997. At the time, we did not have tools like Git or Google, and the web was still a relatively new concept. I simply sent a patch to an email address found in the source code, allowing me to snoop on more than 32 terminals.

I wrote an article for Linux Journal back then, which provides a glimpse into how things used to be. The lack of a C compiler from IBM and the need to purchase debuggers and TCP/IP from SCO made software development a cumbersome process. In contrast, the GNU project made everything available for download, albeit with bugs that needed to be fixed and sent back to the maintainer.

Moving into Open Source Development

Around the same period, I published my first open source project, a VR server. In fact, it was published on the first day SourceForge went live. The original web page is still online and was last updated around 2004. Interacting with AI through this VR server on the web was a unique experience, almost 20 years ahead of its time.

Since then, I have contributed to numerous open source projects as needed. Most contributions were simple bug fixes or messages pointing out issues, such as fixing issues in Apache Ofbiz or helping developers pinpoint problems with FreeRADIUS. My major contribution to Bacula involved writing efficient backup scripts for mail servers, a piece of work I can show aspiring contributors how to tackle.

Open Source Hardware and Personal Financials

In addition to open source software, I have also delved into open source hardware. Over the years, I have purchased so much of it that I became something of a reseller. You can find some of my projects on my old blog and Hackaday page. Alternatively, you can purchase hardware from my web shop.

My career largely depended on open source technology. I have lectured about it, including a detailed archive of one in Croatian language. When working on proprietary software, I maintain an open source stack and build open source software even for proprietary systems. This approach helped me win tenders against major companies, as open source technology can be both cost-effective and superior.

Current Contributions and Goal

For Christmas, I decided to give the world a gift: I created a search engine for over 500,000 free 3D models and designed a free virtual world editor. With this, everyone can build their own virtual world online for free. In this video, I demonstrate the use of this virtual world editor to plant a few Christmas trees.

Conclusion

My journey through open source has been filled with challenges and successes. From the early days of BBS to current work with virtual reality and open source hardware, the spirit of collaboration and sharing has remained constant. Open source technology continues to play a vital role in my career, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me next.