INTRODUCTION TO OPEN-SOURCE
Generally computer software sources (the human readable version of the software) are of two kinds; closed and open. Open-source programming has been prominently growing through the past ten years. In this model, programmers share their codes freely in order to be modified and used by others. They are allowed to alter and change the original software as much as they like. This in turn will produce higher quality software with improved features. For the open-source programs to be reliable, some sort of licenses has been approved by Open Source Initiative (OSI) which is a “non-profit corporation dedicated to managing and promoting the open-source definition for the good of the community, especially through the OSI Certified Open-source software certification mark and program.”
WHERE THE OPEN-SOURCE CAME FROM
Open-source began to form in the hacker’s society of the United States computer science laboratories such as Stanford and MIT in the late 1960’s. Programmers were members of societies in which each member were expected to share his or her code among the society members. This would apply improvements on different codes by members of the society. In addition programmers were able to use each others knowledge in their own interest mutually.
By the early 1980’s the university hacker societies began to collapse, and the hackers were hired by commercial companies producing proprietary systems (systems that required users to purchase a license in order to use them). Later they resigned their jobs and recreated the hacker societies they enjoyed before. One of the first open-source systems was a Unix compatible operating system named GNU by Richard Stallman.
WHAT THE OPEN-SOURCE IS
Open-source software is similar to “free software”, but the open-source users are generally able to view and modify the source code, and they are also allowed to redistribute the software. However open-source does not just mean to access the source code, the distribution of open-source software must comply with the following criteria,
1. The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software (free redistribution).
2. The program must include the source code as well as compiled form (executable form).
3. The license must allow modifications.
4. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code, but may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original software.
5. The license must not discriminate against any person or group.
6. The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor such as business or genetic research.
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.
I was very interested in computers and technology as a child, both playing games and building fake parts for them. Still in elementary school, I was fascinated by these computing machines, spending hours on end working with DOS to satisfy my curiosity. Around my middle school years, Windows became graphical, and I found interest in even more computer games with even greater experiences and capabilities. Windows was the dominant operating system at the time, but I was soon to find there was a whole different world out there of operating systems. While out on vacation in Washington, DC, my Dad and I were able to meet with the local Tech Fanatics group, HackDC. It was here where I discovered Linux. Linux, an alternative to Windows, immediately grabbed my attention when I saw it in use. It appeared to me as something that only the extreme computer users even heard of. Upon my return home,
After a deep depression, I felt totally devastated and without any confidence in myself. However, thanks to the support of my parents, I decided to try again. Very reluctantly, I began studies in computer science at the Universidad de Nariño. Step by step, I found interest in the subjects and courses and, especially, in its application in the real world. However, were two key aspects during my career those changed my conception: my liking for the Open Source Software (OSS) and my admission to a research group.
A new law will probably be introduced into state legislatures which will govern all contracts for the development, sale, licensing, and support of computer software. This law, which has been in development for about ten years, will be an amendment to the Uniform Commercial Code. The amendment is called Article 2B (Law of Licensing) and is loosely based on UCC Article 2 (Law of Sales), which governs sales of goods in all 50 states. A joint committee of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Law Institute is drafting the changes to the UCC.
First, a look at the law. The essential idea behind a copyright is that the holder of a copyright owns the particular expression of an idea, “but not the underlying idea or method of operation,” (TEXTBOOK). In the computer industry, it became difficult to separate what parts of software were ideas and not protected by copyright law and which were expressions of an idea, and thus protected. For example, elements made for efficiency have a limited number of ways in which they can be expressed, so are they protected, or are such elements incidental to an idea and non-protected? Also in consideration were elements ma...
obtain these license. This is freedom taken too lightly. Dilascio also stated in his overview article
Source code is the lifeblood of all high tech software organizations. If it falls into the wrong hands, a company will very likely experience damagingly costly repercussions. As a result, most tech companies invest a relatively large chunk of their revenues into network security.
Software piracy is a complicated issue with no simple solutions or simple causes. First we’ll try to explain the reason why people might commit software piracy, and then we’ll attempt to explore how they might rationalize there actions.
Hacking has been around since the birth of computers. When the term hacking was first used, its meaning was not that of how we think of it today. At the origins of computing, a hacker was considered to be just a "creative programmer (Baase, 2003)." Early forms of computer games as well as the beginnings of operating systems were discovered and created by these original hackers. These hackers plunged into systems as a way of an intellectual challenge and to aspire to gain knowledge (Baase, 2003). Kevin Mitnick believes he falls into this realm of hackers. Hackers in today's era are now looked upon as criminals who invade the privacy rights of individuals and have the ability to deliver worms/viruses. The differences are that hackers today have full intentions of delivering terrible viruses and worms. Mitnick was one of the most infamous hackers during the 1980's. He molded his hacking style around the stupidity of humans and his quest for intellectual knowledge. The ways in which he wiggled his way into computer systems extenuates many of the issues surrounding computer security and privacy.
Then came Linus Benedict Torvalds. At the time he was a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, his hobby also included computer programming. At 21 he found himself spending most of his time toying with computer systems, trying to see what he could do in order to push their limits and increase their functionality. The key missing in his tests was an operating system that had the flexibility craved for by professionals. MINIX was available, though it was still just a stu...
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.
Free and easy access is a means of distributing intellectual study that breaks from the traditional subscription model of academic publishing. It has the potential to greatly quicken the pace of scientific discovery, encourage innovation and develop education by reducing barrier to access. Open access moves the costs of publishing so that readers, practitioners and researchers obtain the content at minimum or free of cost. Open access incorporates a range of components such as readership, reuse, copyright, posting and machine readability. Open access benefits users, research institutions and society as a whole by providing accessibility through which everyone can read and use the free publications online, full re-use rights where Intellectual wo...
The term “hacker” has been in use since the early 1980’s due to mass media usage to describe computer criminals. The use of this term is vastly used by the general population and most are not aware that there are different meanings to the word. People within the computing community especially within the programming subculture emphasize the use of the term “crackers” for computer security intruders (cyber criminals). Early hackers rarely used their skills for financial gain as a motivation for their criminal behavior in that time cybercrime was infantile and largely seen as a practical joke or game by those who committed it. Bob Thomas created the first credited computer worm n...
copyrighted software by a person or entity that has not been licensed to use the
and distributing it or installing more than one copy of one piece of software on