The sixth episode of ShareCast is about open source software. This is software under free licences that grants its users four freedoms: to run the software for any purpose, to examine how it works and thus also the source code, to adapt it to their own needs, and to redistribute the software, even in modified versions. This distinguishes it from software that the open source movement refers to as ‘proprietary’ or ‘closed source software,’ which does not offer these ‘fundamental freedoms.’ But how exactly is collaboration and sharing carried out here? What interests determine the open source world and what conflicts exist? We talked to our guests about the structures of this ‘digital counterworld,’ the relationship between the open source movement and big tech companies, and the lines of conflict within this world of ‘free software.’
ShareCast Episode 6 – Open source software: shared or closed? 14 October 2025
Guests
Miriam Seyffarth is head of political communication at the Open Source Business Alliance, the association of the open source industry in Germany.
Stefan Mey is a freelance tech journalist and author. He focuses on surveillance, large digital corporations, and the question of what the internet is doing to us and our society.
Jürgen Geuter, alias tante, is a computer scientist and research director at ART+COM Studios. He is also a freelance author and consultant on topics at the intersection of technology, society, and politics.
More Information:
Geuter, Jürgen (2025): „Open Source und digitale Infrastrukturen sind politisch“. In: Verantwortungsblog. https://zevedi.de/open-source-und-digitale-infrastrukturen-sind-politisch/ [11.09.2025]. https://doi.org/10.60805/66c8-4h10.
Mey, Stefan (2025): „Open Source trägt einen Keim für gerechtere Marktverhältnisse in sich“. In: Verantwortungsblog. https://zevedi.de/open-source-software-und-gerechtere-marktverhaltnisse/ [29.07.2025]. https://doi.org/10.60805/c70n-9240.
Lovink, Geert (2025): „Wir brauchen ein, zwei, viele Tausende Mastodons“. In: Verantwortungsblog. https://zevedi.de/wir-brauchen-ein-zwei-viele-tausende-mastodons/ [09.05.2025]. https://doi.org/10.60805/dmqt-cw72.
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