Open Weights, Distillation & Local Runs

A thread you can test

What Open Source Actually Opens

3 notes move from the word to a real choice at work — understand it first, then decide whether to use it.

READING THREADOPEN
3notes
HOW TO READStart where you are stuck, then follow the evidence and trade-offs

Each note stands alone, or becomes the next step in this thread.

Open Weights, Distillation & Local RunsNo login

THE QUESTION THIS PAGE ANSWERS

ANSWER FIRST

What is What Open Source Actually Opens, and which AI decisions does it change?

The file that months of training finally condenses into: what it looks like, how big it is, and why holding the weights means holding control This page keeps the related concepts, common mistakes, and practical notes in one reading thread.

DECISION RULE

First decide whether you are blocked by a definition, a choice, or verification; then choose the closest of the 3 notes below.

TRY NEXT

Start with “What Are Weights? Everything a Model Knows How to Do,” then restate the conclusion using your own task.

WATCH FOR

Do not treat every method in a topic as interchangeable. The answer changes with the input, risk, and acceptance bar.

THIS QUESTION THREAD

Put the word back inside the choice it changes.

3 notes
Concept

What Are Weights? Everything a Model Knows How to Do

The file that months of training finally condenses into: what it looks like, how big it is, and why holding the weights means holding control

Open Weights, Distillation & Local Runs 6 min →
Selection

Real vs. Fake Open Source: How to Read a License

Three questions that locate how open a model is; the same yardstick applied to Qwen, Mistral, DeepSeek, Llama, and API-only models

Open Weights, Distillation & Local Runs 6 min →
Case Study

Open Source Is a Business: What Each Vendor Is After

Six vendors' open-source strategies and paths to revenue; why the number of derivative models says more than download counts

Open Weights, Distillation & Local Runs 7 min →