The Advantages of Open Source Software
"Open Source Software is primarily defined as software which is freely redistributable and includes the source code" (Varner, 1999). Open-source software may be seen as the opposite of proprietary software in which the end product is binary only. The idea of open source is not a new one. "The progress of science over half a millennium has been founded upon the notion of "open source"--a model in which the brightest minds contribute their work to the community for the betterment of humankind. Scientists across all major disciplines publish their insights in the public domain, climbing upon the shoulders of others and enabling others to climb upon theirs" (Firmage, 2003). The beginnings of open-source software began, however, in the 1950-1960 time frame when software, along with its source code, was distributed through forums such as the IBM SHARE or the DEC DECUS. The idea began to populate more rapidly though, with the rise of Linux, beginning in 1991 (Gonzalez-Barahona, 2000). Today, the use of open-source software is widespread. In fact, much of the Internet relies on open-source software. Two such examples are Apache, which currently runs 64% of surveyed Internet websites (Netcraft, 2003) and BIND, which in 2000 was estimated to providing 95% of all reverse DNS lookups (Wheeler, 2003). Given this background into the idea of open source and its related software, this paper intends to highlight some of the advantages to developing open source software and the advantages for a business to consider using it.
As a software developer, there are some advantages to developing software in an open source format as opposed to a proprietary, closed source format. First, the ability to vi...
... middle of paper ...
..... (2003, May 2). OpenOffice.org 1.0.x Features. Retrieved October 1, 2003 from http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/features.html
Robinson, G. (2003, January 24). Linux, Linux, Everywhere? Retrieved October 1, 2003, from http://www.iapplianceweb.com/story/OEG20030124S0039
Szakal, A. (2003, June 24). The Open Source Middleware Opportunity: Differentiating IBM Middleware from Open Source Alternatives. Retrieved October 1, 2003, from http://www.opengroup.org/minneapolis2003/presentations/TP-ASzakal.pdf
Varner, P. E. (1999). The Economics of Open Source Software. Retrieved October 1, 2003, from http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~pev5b/writing/econ_oss/definition.html
Wheeler, D. A. (2003, September 8). Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS)? Look at the Numbers! Retrieved October 1, 2003, from http://www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_why.html
Open source software development is taking place all over the world where part of the community develops individual modules, becoming necessary to establish standards and common definitions for open source software. These standards are established to define interaction between modules to insure interoperability of software. Software components which follow specific open standards can be replaced with other standard-compliant product, which allows the user more freedom to choose the component best suited to his needs and is not bound to a particular product, as with commercial software (Chauhan)
The Software Development Life Cycle is seldom used at my place of work. Unfortunately, recent developments in its use are deemed confidential. Due to this fact, this paper will examine in general terms one of the projects we are undertaking right now while at the same time attempting to maintain our confidentiality.
In this section, we consider perspectives to increase the inclusivity of software products as well as the skills required by personnel involved in the design and development of software.
...have direct access to billions of clients promptly, the developments of open source communities and attitudes, all these captivating developments are sure to transform the autocratic Soviet-like stone monuments of today into interests that people of political economy.
1. There are several advantages to proprietary products over open source products: better quality control issues in creating products; a firmer control over the licensing, either the technology the product is based on or what material (music in this case) can be used with the proprietary device; the potential to build brand loyalty (for example Sony memory cards only work in their products, if you’ve already bought these cards you could be more likely to purchase additional Sony products in the future); pricing – companies could possibly charge a premium price for their proprietary products as there could be few to no competitors in a specific market space; vertical markets (if Sony is providing the device, memory card and music the majority of revenues are staying in-house); and proprietary products could potentially create barriers to entry.
The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 ushered in major paradigms shifts in the software industry. Software evolved from being a licensed product to being a subscribed web service. Development efforts slid from the tight control of specialists, for example systems analysts and programmers, towards a collaborative project between end users and technology experts. Learners are now required to teach themselves and teachers are there to facilitate the learning process. The dissemination of knowledge and wisdom would gravitate away from the puritanical filters of rigorous scholastic scrutiny towards a mashed-up crowd sourced assembly such as Wikipedia. Personal websites would now encompass a social networki...
Technological advances have made it easier for analysts as well as policy makers to access all the information they need. Open source information now accounts for 90 percent of the informati...
1. Text chapter 9, discussion question 1 (p.352). Write a detailed answer, using authoritative sources. IS organizations will no longer need to develop a proprietary infrastructure; they can just rely on the Internet. Therefore, they will again focus mainly on developing applications.
Insightfully mapping out the technological advancements in software development from its beginnings somewhere in the late 1940’s to the current modern age. There is more than enough compelling evidence that software technology has laid a strong impact on all economic and social aspects of our modern day living. Thus, a systematic approach towards high quality software development is required due to an increasingly quality oriented market and competitive business world.
The reason for this rapid adoption is Linux’s unique ability to provide powerful functionality, security, compatibility, customization at a more cost-effective price than proprietary vendors. In its inception, there were many perceived concerns to utilizing Linux in a corporate infrastructure.
The rising popularity of open innovation the last decade has been impossible to overlook. As each firm matures with time, it forces them to search for new business opportunities in order to grow and to stay competitive on the market. It is no longer an option to only extend products’ life cycles – firms now also have to explore new technological areas and invest in new business opportunities to stay in business.
At the middle of my career, the OSS philosophy was something very strange and bizarre. Very few people were users of computer systems different to Windows or Mac, but for me OSS was a fascinating world. It was a challenge: compile your own software, study the code of others, understand how the programs worked... it was like having detailed instructions for the appliances I previously damaged. The spirit of OSS has been with me ever since. Share what you know and contribute in part to build something bigger has been a guideline in my life. For several years I was the leader of the local OSS user group at my university and even today I belong and collaborate with various OSS projects.
On a recent search for "free software", at the website http://www.yahoo.com/, I found over two thousand websites that either distributed or provided links to free software on the Internet. Most of the software was available in one of two forms: shareware and freeware. Shareware is the term given too many trial versions, versions with a time limit that allows you to try it for free, with send-payment if you decide to keep it. Freeware is the name given to software that is distributed, with full knowledge and consent of the owner, in its entirety. [1] An example of this kind of software is the LINUX operating system. The LINUX operating system was invented by Linus Torvalds, one of the world’s best computer programmers. Fed up with the MS-DOS system in the PC’s in the early 1990’s, he started his own operating system and it took off like a rocket. “I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I was the best programmer in the world. Every 21-year-old programmer knows that. “How hard can it be, it’s just an operating system?”” [2] Furthermore he made his software available for the public to download this software off the internet, and spark the evolution of the open source software era, where people can just take whatever they want and making the Software companies feel the damages, because everyone is stealing their software instead of buying it.
Reliable, efficient, trustworthy and economically sound systems must be produced by software engineers. If good software engineering practices are not followed, this could lead to higher costs for testing the software, quality assurance (meeting standards) and long term maintenance.