Open source software is becoming more widespread as the IT industry expands. This type of software is great for the people that choose to build their own versions of applications. Some view this type of software to be unethical and crippling to companies that release programs in order to make a profit. Having access to the source code can benefit end-users in more ways than one and could potentially result in a better product. The idea behind open source software is that a program can be released to the public and its source code must be readily available to users for modifications of the code. This benefits the users because over time, programs can be changed to fix bugs and ultimately evolve the original version into a better end-product. …show more content…
Bugs usually describe errors in programming that result in a program not functioning correctly. But determining whether it is a bug or a feature is a grey area. Usually bugs found in OSS are resolved rather quickly. Because the software can be manipulated by anyone that obtains the source code, end-users that find the bugs can fix them and distribute an unofficial version of the software with the repair. Users can choose to use the unofficial version or wait to download the official version after the software fix is proven effective by the project …show more content…
Many large companies, such as Google, are participating in the revolution and offering their utilities as open source. Whether certain countries choose to use this type of software for governmental purposes, or on an individual need basis, the idea is booming. It is becoming more widespread by the day, and the benefits are extensive. Although many see open source as wrong or unjust, it is what many individuals and businesses use in their everyday operations. Open source is a valuable resource available today, and has a bright future in the technology
Wars, complete with spies and lawyers masquerading as foot soldiers, rage ceaselessly in American homes. Some are as foreign as Samsung and Apple’s technology infringements, making headlines with fines and court declarations. Others deliver mail warnings against infringement for tracked, pirated media. But a more widespread and unnoticed battle grips the fields, supermarkets, and kitchens of America.
The notion that software should be free is one that is highly critiqued within the technology industry. Free, as in the idea that users can obtain the source code for any given program, and modify and redistribute it as they like. Currently most all software produced is proprietary in nature. Corporations pay developers to create proprietary software that they then obstruct (so that no modifications can be made), and sell (to turn a profit). Richard Stallman has been fighting the idea of proprietary software, and specifically software ownership, for decades. Stallman holds the stance that software ownership is a detriment to society, and stifles innovation, education, and social cohesion.
The Linux operating system is the catchall term for the dozens of software stacks built around the free and open source Linux kernel. Clumped into distribution...
Proprietary software is defined as computer software in which the producer has set restrictions on use, private modification, copying, or republishing. Open source and free software are pretty much the opposite, the source codes are made available which permits the user to use, change, improve, and redistribute it in an unmodified or modified form. These definitions first led me to believe that proprietary software was more secure when compared to others because of its code not being available. Recent observations have shown though that even proprietary software developers are starting to realize that open source software development has been so successful that proprietary companies have been paying attention to incorporating open source strategies into their business model. [3] These observations have led to the development of hybrid software that has elements of both proprietary and open source software. As a matter of fact, we are alread...
In 1970s, the software was firstly subjected as intellectual property. Stallman felt if the software-based computing idea was treated as an intellectual property and controlled as proprietary, then he as a hacker[2] no longer could read the source code, find the problem, and fix the problem in the MIT lab community. It would be a major drawback to the freedom in technology from social and moral perspective. So Stallman quit the job in MIT and found Free Software Foundation[3] in 1984 as a nonprofit organization that provides various types of software such as: GCC compiler and Emacs editor. He created the General Public License (GPL)[4] as a legal document to prevent free software from being turned into proprietary. GPL is also known as copyleft[5]. To most of Stallman’s supporters and open source hackers, “non-free software is a social problem and free software is the solution.”[6]. The main theme of free software is the moral freedom – the cultural and legal freedom to ac...
Comparing to "Free Software", the term ``open source software'' is associated with a different engineering approach, different values, and even a different criterion for which licenses are acceptable. We differentiate the Free Software movement and the Open Source movement with different views and goals, although engineers can and do work together on some practical projects.
What this means is that the program that is used here will feature a source code that is open for all people to adjust. It also allows for people to make all of the adjustments that they make to the program open to the public provided that it is distributed with the same license terms as what was used in the original program. It must not restrict any software or other functions in a computer and it must not be given out with a cost attached to it (OSI 1).
Consumer software programs are compiled and translated into machine language before they are sold. Some manufacturers provide source code, but usually only programmers find the source code useful. Thus programs bought off the shelf can be executed, but usually their source code cannot be read or modified.
Open source software is a software that can be used by anyone without any charge needed and it will be freely used and available in modification and enhancement. The benefit of open source software in business is the need of a simple version application that can be customize or making an enhancement such as word processing or any easily editable website.
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.
First of all, Everyday businesses are facing constantly internal operational and technological changes and having free software is appropriate and secure to offer a solution to all this changes. Having access to the original source code is a huge advantage because businesses can make adjustments, corrections or simply add new functions that are exclusive for the organization. For example, it can be used to personalize printers, to accomplish a specific task, for security audits and to keep privacy of the data. On the contrary, private software is expensive, unsecure and it has copy protection. For this reason, many organizations are considering moving away from their current Operating Systems to Linux for example. Another example of free software is Apache, a powerful Web server that offers reliable, se...
The aim of this paper is to define the terms ‘Information and Communication Technologies’ (hereinafter ‘ICT’ without emphasis), ‘ICT Security’ and ‘Open Source Software’ (hereinafter ‘OSS’ without emphasis). This paper will focus on discussing the concept of ‘ICT Security in OSS’ suggested in well-known sources (The UNESCO 2007; Bakari 2007; Open Source Software Work Group 2010; Australian Government Information Management Office 2011).
This type of software is written by software specialists and should be of extremely high quality, whereas the risk for bugs and problems is high when it comes to bespoke software.