Introduction to Open Source

Open Source

Open source software allows for the coding of the software to be shared, viewed and modified by others. It is freely available to the public, and is a great way for software to be modified and improved upon by others

·         Source code is available to users

·         Usually free ($) or cheap to acquire and use

·         Primarily developed by volunteers

·         Anyone can modify and customize

·         Users have direct input into development

Example

·         Operating systems: Linux, (Mac OS X)*

·         Web & email servers: Apache and Sendmail/Postfix/Qmail

·         Web & db languages: PHP/Perl and MySQL/PostgreSQL

·          Automation Tools: Selenium

·         Desktop apps: Open Office, Mozilla, gAIM, (eBase)**

Why give Software away?

·         Benefit from the previous work of others

·         Better software, when others can fix it

·         Many hands make light work

Why work for free?

·         The good feelings from any volunteerism

·         Respect, fame, pride in one's creation

·         Actually, not everyone works for free

Open source have practical benefits for all:

·         “Better”: More stable, secure, interoperable

·         You can make a difference

·         Little or no licensing cost, upgrade costs

·         Good community support, direct line to developers

·         Lower system requirements

·         Freedom to change your mind