Open+Source+Software

 By Sandy Hanna



**What is open source? ** The free distribution of software to the community for use and feedback development It is a few software programs that are developed free for the community without any expectations from the community other than to help further develop the software  This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms.  Offers practical accessibility to software’s source code   5 Examples of Open Source Software   Apache web server Web server used to serve both static content and dynamic Web pages on the World Wide Web. Many web applications are designed expecting the environment and features that Apache provides.  <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Eclipse software development platform <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Eclipse <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> is a multi-language software development environment written in Java <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Mozilla Firefox web browser <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Free and open source web browsers. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Second most popular browser after IE <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Sun's Java programming language and environment <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Java <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> is the number of computer software products and specifications from Sun Microsystems that together provide a system for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform environment. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">MySQL database system <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">stands for "My Structured Query Language". The program runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontweight: bold; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Advantages of Open Source <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontweight: bold; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Three Disadvantages of Open Source Software <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;"> Unsuccessful examples of OSS SourceXchange and Eazel
 * 1) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Reliability: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">fast detection of bugs and resolving them
 * 2) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stability: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">standards change but slowly and interchange so that formats are often particularly stable
 * 3) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Auditability: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">trust the claims made by vendors of software regarding security, freedom from backdoors, adherence to standards and flexibility in the face of future changes
 * 4) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cost: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">free software
 * 5) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Flexibility and freedom: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">finding solutions suitable for the needs of users
 * 6) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Support and accountability: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">reliability and security of open software outweighs the option to sue a negligent vendor
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Security issues because hackers have access to the source code and can easily alter it and steal it
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Technical requirements are more in focus than Market requirements developers focus on the technical qualities because they are not creating it for a specific customer like a vendor would so it is not focusing on a specific market but rather on the software’s own qualities and requirements
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Testing and documentation are ignored because developers again focus on the software and a user and not so much on a specific market so they don’t do enough documentation on the software knowing that users would evaluate the software themselves and provide feedback

<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontweight: bold; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Stormy Peters Open Source Icon the executive of the GNOME foundation and current advisor for Open Source states: “One of the big strengths and perceived weaknesses of open source is it's modularity.” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Its easy to find solutions and integrate them into the environment but its hard when something goes wrong for enterprises to figure out which component is responsible and how to maintain the correct relationships with vendors to fix it

<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontweight: bold; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Why people are resistant to Open Source <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Because **it is a new model** BUT the strength of modular solutions outweighs the "pain" of having lots of components.

<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontweight: bold; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Interesting facts <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Surprising number of Open Source developers using MAC <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Open Source is different than freeware <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoansilanguage: EN; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">The difference in the terms is where they place the emphasis. “Free software” is defined in terms of giving the user freedom. This reflects the goal of the free software movement. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Open source” highlights that the source code is viewable to all and proponents of the term usually emphasize the quality of the software and how this is caused by the development models which are possible and popular among free and open source software projects. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">Open source is a development methodology, free software is a social movement **