Most experimental research projects are executed with a combination of purchased
hardware equipment, which may be modified in the laboratory and custom single-built
equipment fabricated inhouse. However, the computer software that helps design and
execute experiments and analyze data has an additional source: It can also be free and
open-source software (FOSS)(1). FOSS has the advantage that the code is openly available
for modification and is also often free of charge. In the past, customizing software has been …