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
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...
Microsoft is an American company that was founded by William Henry Gates III, as known as Bill Gates, and his his high school friend Paul Gardner Allen in 1975 April 4. But unluckily, Paul Allen resigned from Microsoft in 1983 after developing Hodgkin’s disease. In 1985 October 20, Microsoft released Microsoft window. It is the first original operating system. It is a graphical extension for MS-DOS. Even though, it’s not handy like nowadays Microsoft window. Then in 1990, Microsoft introduced Microsoft office, which is a bundle office productivity application with Microsoft Word and Microsoft excel. The Microsoft Word was the first application that could display italics. And the Microsoft Office would be available for free for all the PC World’s computer that is produce on that same year in November. In the 2000 February 17, Microsoft released Window 2000 operating system, and according to Microsoft it is the most safe operating system in the world at that time. But still, there are so many problems and glitches need to be fixed. Besides there are mutable computer viruses are made specially to attack Window 2000. Rush to gain back the sales. In the 2001 October 25 Window xp is available. The new operating system fix most of the problem. Although some of the user were still complaining the system that it will take your information, but in the 2007 January, there are 76% of people in the entire world are using the operating system.
Microsoft has devoted huge amounts of effort to marketing in developing their products and services, as well as to the integration of their software products with one another in an attempt to create a seamless and consistent computing environment for the user.
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.
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...
My answer to these two questions is threefold: First, I assert that TSMs and INGOs can and have posed substantial normative challenges to state hegemony, most commonly the notion that the state enjoys a monopoly on representation of its citizens and their interests. Furthermore, TSMs and INGOs that employ the use of violence (particularly terrorism) breach the conventional notion that states...
Why do people pirate software? The obvious answer is: people want to use the software, but not pay for it. However, when we change the question slightly, to: “Why do people steal source code?” A variety of interesting answers can pop up. Possibly, the thief wants to modify the code, make copies of it, and proceed to sell it as his own creation -- for a profit. Or, perhaps the perpetrator is a raging open source advocate and he simply wants to examine the stolen code to improve his programming skills. As harmless as the latter may sound, it is still a clearly defined crime in virtually every hi-tech country in the world.1
A Worldwide Problem Software piracy is defined as the illegal copying of software for commercial or personal gain. Software companies have tried many methods to prevent piracy, with varying degrees of success. Several agencies like the Software Publishers Association and the Business Software Alliance have been formed to combat both worldwide and domestic piracy. Software piracy is an unresolved, worldwide problem, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Software companies have used many different copy protection schemes. The most annoying form of copy protection is the use of a key disk. This type of copy protection requires the user to insert the original disk every time the program is run. It can be quite difficult to keep up with disks that are years old. The most common technique of copy protection requires the user to look up a word or phrase in the program's manual. This method is less annoying than other forms of copy protection, but it can be a nuisance having to locate the manual every time. Software pirates usually have no trouble "cracking" the program, which permanently removes the copy protection. After the invention of CD-ROM, which until lately was uncopyable, most software companies stopped placing copy protection in their programs. Instead, the companies are trying new methods of disc impression. 3M recently developed a new technology of disc impression which allows companies to imprint an image on the read side of a CD-ROM. This technology would not prevent pirates from copying the CD, but it would make a "bootleg" copy differ from the original and make the copy traceable by law enforcement officials (Estes 89). Sometimes, when a person uses a pirated program, there is a "virus" attached to the program. Viruses are self-replicating programs that, when activated, can damage a computer. These viruses are most commonly found on pirated computer games, placed there by some malignant computer programmer. In his January 1993 article, Chris O' Malley points out that if piracy was wiped out viruses would eventually disappear (O' Malley 60). There are ways that a thrifty consumer can save money on software without resorting to piracy. Computer companies often offer discounts on new software if a person has previously purchased an earlier version of the software. Competition between companies also drives prices low and keeps the number of pirated copies down (Morgan 45). People eventually tire or outgrow their software and decide to sell it.
O’Neil states that when it comes to WMDs, privacy is “a luxury that only the wealthy can afford” (170). O’Neil establishes that profit is a commonly used proxy for the truth when evaluating the success of an algorithm, and that business always seek to increase profit. Therefore if an unfair algorithm increases profit, a business has no reason to change it unless prompted to by legal action. WMDs are used to increase efficiency, and as a result often cause the secondary outcome of “industrial production of unfairness”
As illustrated above, open source licensing is becoming more and more dominant, especially as long as software is provided in a digital form. The purpose of this paper was to observe if and how the open source software licensing regime has challenged the protection granted to software under the intellectual property rights. In general, the outcome is that the distinct production and distribution model of open source licenses, while different, can be compatible with the legal framework of intellectual property rights protection and serve different purposes. However, a number of remaining uncertainties around the open source licenses leave room for improvements such as the possibility to make some adaptations to the license terms.
Microsoft was able in the OS segment to double their revenue per PC when Windows 3.x emerged which still needed MS-DOS to run. Most of the sales Microsoft made were to OEMs who would take the additional step of installing Windows on a computer’s hard drive. This strategy was effective in that the cost of production was relatively low, as an OEM may only need a single master copy to do the installation. The costs to Microsoft would largely be bore in R&D expense rather than production. As part of the Microsoft business model for this segment, Microsoft designed their OS to need periodic upgrades. The upgrades did come at a cost, and in essence, Microsoft was able to create an “annuity” stream for the Microsoft OS segment. In this segment, Microsoft had a monopolistic structure that allowed them to realize huge returns, especially during such a period of technological growth and rapid obsol...
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.
People want the freedom and empowerment to use technology, while being protected against malicious actions. Protection starts with awareness and education, the government needs to begin empirical goals around previous campaign successes. President Obama noted, “The government is bringing about unprecedented transparency and liability for Americans to take part in their democracy.” (Obama, 2009).
Microsoft is the leading and the largest Software Company in the world. Found by William Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 Microsoft has grown and become a multibillion company in only ten years. It all started with a great vision – “a computer on every desk and every home” - that seemed almost impossible at the time. Now Microsoft has over 44,000 employees in 60 countries, net income of $3.45 billion and revenue of 11.36 billion. Company dramatic growth and success was driven by development and marketing of operational systems and personal productivity applications software.