Impact of Open Source Software During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current coronavirus crisis has already taken hundreds of thousands of lives and affected millions, isolating and displacing families and individuals, shutting down businesses, and creating a whole different world in its wake. But through the devastation it is causing, many positive initiatives have also sprung up and offer rays of hope through these trying times. Unsurprisingly, many of these initiatives center around the use of open source solutions.

Since its inception open source software has always had the distinct advantage of being able to offer cutting edge solutions. It’s no wonder then that through the ever-evolving status of this pandemic open source has become the go-to source for answers to alleviate the various challenges that this period has presented.

Tracking the Pandemic

One of the most critical aspects of this current pandemic has been tracking its numbers. Ascertaining the number of deaths, new cases, recoveries and other related information for just about every location have been imperative. This information not only assists governments, agencies and medical facilities in their work, but also helps society in general become well-informed and proactive in taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Open source projects like the coronavirus package present this information for all to access and use in their own projects. Being open source ensures that this information is updated, seen and checked by numerous others. Other open source projects that center around coronavirus information dissemination are contact tracing apps that have now been released to the public and downloaded by millions in countries like Italy, Singapore and India. These apps work by notifying individuals if they make contact or are in close proximity with someone who has or likely has the disease. Once these notifications are sent, the recipients are then advised on what they should do moving forward to keep themselves from spreading the disease.

Apart from better informing individuals, these apps help to stem the transmission of the coronavirus by making it easier for the government and healthcare institutions to track how and where the virus spreads.

Easing into ‘The New Normal’

While many open source efforts have just recently been made because of the pandemic, several others that have been around for a while have gotten a sudden boost in users, support and development primarily because of their particular usefulness during this time. Among these open source projects are various streaming apps, video conferencing and messaging apps. Given that social distancing has become the new norm, these apps come in really handy in bringing people together without actually bringing them together in the same room.

Here at SourceForge a number of existing open source apps such as the messaging app Pidgin IM and internet jam session software Jamulus have seen increased usage in recent months, with many users expressing their appreciation for such software being freely available especially during this time. Such apps have made it possible for people to go about doing what they would normally do outside of this pandemic, like keeping in touch with friends and family, collaborating with co-workers, and even entertaining themselves by playing music together online or streaming videos. It’s given them a sense of normalcy and stability during this time of great uncertainty, and is further proof of the power of open source software to effect positive change or in this case, retain a sense of hope and positivity.