8 Open-Source Tools That Secretly Power The World
How-to Geek, Thursday, March 12th, 2026
Although the term "open source" didn't arrive until the late 1990s, the principle has been around since programming really took off in the 50s and 60s. Early developers shared their code and protocol designs, a process that ballooned with the advent of the internet in 1969.
Open source software is now ubiquitous, both hiding in plain sight and acting as an unsung hero behind the scenes. The tools I'll cover here are vital for vast swathes of our daily lives, even if they rarely get the credit they deserve.
Linux - It's everywhere, from game consoles to mobile phones
We've all heard of this one, but it's impossible to overstate the importance of Linux in our current lives. Still relatively new-it only really started being used in the wild around the mid 1990s-this operating system is best known to the wider public in its form as Android, the dominant smartphone OS.