This episode explores the critical role that open-source software and the developers who maintain it play in powering the modern internet. We'll dive into the history of how open-source projects like Linux, Apache, and Firefox became the backbone of the web, and meet some of the pioneering programmers who dedicated their careers to building these essential tools for free. We'll also examine the often precarious personal and financial situations of these open-source maintainers, and discuss the growing sustainability crisis facing the open-source ecosystem.

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