HPC is built on open source. While building HPC systems with “open plumbing” has enormous advantages, there can also be some challenges. As illustrated in the classic XKCD comic, the entire dependency tree of many useful projects may have a critical component that needs to be better supported. If not for those benevolent individuals, new features, bug fixes, and security fixes may never happen.
Fortunately, there is a way to help with this situation. This year (2023), Tuesday, November 29, has been designated Giving Tuesday, where individuals are invited to donate to many good causes. And it does not have to be Giving Tuesday, any day is a good day to support open software.
If you are so inclined, consider donating to NumFOCUS. Perhaps you have never heard of NumFOCUS? Their mission aligns with HPC and the technical computing community.
“The mission of NumFOCUS is to promote open practices in research, data, and scientific computing by serving as a fiscal sponsor for open source projects and organizing community-driven educational programs.“
Please have a look at their project list. You may recognize and use some (or many) of the supported applications and libraries.
If NumFocus is not your choice, consider donating to one of the many open-source projects that we all depend upon.
Give a little, get a lot.