When should I use open source software and how do I build on top of it to create the unique and differentiating elements of my business where I am right now? How can open source create community and lead to a wider array of solutions? Sander Mangel, eCommerce Solutions Architect at Shopware, joins this episode to explain the necessity of community in open source. Listen Now!

A Bigger Beneficial Pie

• Doing eCommerce has become tremendously complex and that requires not just developers but specialists, analysts, and more discipline than it ever has before
• We wouldn’t have the internet if we didn’t have open source
• “The actual lineage and the history of these communities goes on to power commerce at its core and whether that's in a commercialized way or not, open source sits at the root of all of this.” - Phillip
• The only way to actually leverage open source is to contribute back and be a part of the community
• If you’re not sharing that knowledge because you’re worried about IP, or if the whole value of your company relies on a set of features, you're probably doing something wrong
• “When you have so many voices, it's easy for vision to splinter, but you have to have {vision} in order to be successful.” - Brian
• “If you're measuring the success of your community by the lines of code written, it's never going to work because that's not how community works.” - Sander
• “If you run open source software and leverage that in a smart way, in a conscious way, you can make the difference with just a few lines of customization to make sure that it specifically fits your business. That's where the value of open source lies.” - Sander

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