Explaining Open Source with home-baked cookies

How do you explain what "open source" actually is to just anyone, without losing them after three sentences? During an open day at De Klinker in Nijmegen, Peter Martin had a delicious solution.

Armed with a tray of homemade cookies and a good dose of enthusiasm, he stood on behalf of the Linux User Group Nijmegen ready to introduce visitors to Linux, open-source software, and a tasty metaphor.

Software is like a recipe

Imagine you want to bake cookies. You need a recipe with ingredients and instructions. In software terms, that recipe is the "source code": the code that tells how the program works:

• With closed-source software, the recipe is secret. You may eat the cookies, but you cannot see how they are made, let alone change the recipe. Think of Microsoft Windows or Photoshop.
• With open-source software, the recipe is open to view, use, and adapt. Everyone may experiment, add new flavors, and share the results with others. This is what makes open source powerful: a community that improves, tastes, tests, and keeps developing together.

The license sets the rules of the game

Every piece of software has a license: rules that explain what you may do with the software:

• For closed software these rules are often strict: "One cookie per person, and you may not view, change, or share the recipe".
• For open source it is the other way around: the license gives freedom. The GNU GPLv3 recipe for Peter’s cookies is a good example. This license gives you four fundamental freedoms:
  • Freedom 0: you may use the recipe for any purpose, whether breakfast, drinks, or a demo.
  • Freedom 1: you may study the recipe and adapt it to your taste. Add some cinnamon, skip the sugar, or make a vegan variant.
  • Freedom 2: you may share the recipe with others so they can bake cookies too.
  • Freedom 3: you may share your modified version so the whole community benefits from your improvements.

These four freedoms are the core of open source: not only for software, but for any kind of knowledge sharing.

You taste open source together

During the open day at De Klinker, the metaphor came to life. Visitors tasted the cookies, browsed the recipe on GitHub, and immediately understood the idea. Vegans liked that they could see what was inside (transparency! in this case vegan margarine instead of butter), and programmers recognized the idea of free access and collaboration. This started a conversation where technology, ethics, and taste went hand in hand.

What began as a plate of cookies on a small table became a talk about digital freedom, light and fun, but with a serious message. Because open source is not only about code. It is about sharing, trust, and the right to learn from each other.

Open source is like baking with friends: everyone brings something, everyone learns something new, and together you make something better than alone. The Open Source cookies show this perfectly. The source code, or the recipe, is open, the results are tangible, and the message is easy to digest: "Open source is freedom you can taste" :-)

Want to bake or learn yourself? You can find the recipe at github.com/pe7er/open-source-cookies