Open Source Defined
"There are lots of myths out there as to what Linux can do. One myth we see is that Linux is more secure than Windows. Another is that there are no viruses for Linux," Nick McGrath, head of platform strategy for Microsoft in the United Kingdom.
"The enemy is proprietary software," Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software movement, the GNU project, the Free Software Foundation, and the League for Programming Freedom.
A Very Short History
There are different versions of when the open source software movement really began, but most agree that the release of the Netscape source code of the Navigator web browser in 1998 is what really gelled a lot of people and ideas into a cohesive movement. Soon afterwards, the phrase "open source" was coined.
Things quickly snowballed from there. Within the next two years, Sun Microsystems, IBM, Oracle, Intel, HP and Netscape either invest in open source companies or offer new products that work with or are themselves open source.
Today, the vast majority the Internet runs on open source servers, and businesses and governments around the world are trying open source for themselves.
What it is, Really
A philosophy as well as a type of software, there's a lively debate within the open source community over what the term should mean on a practical level. There are a number of open source software licenses, but most share the requirement that the source code be widely available at no charge and that anyone can modify the code however they see fit.
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is the oldest advocacy group for open source software. OSI has an Open Source Definition (OSD) that is used as a standard benchmark in the industry. If a software package meets the group's definition, it's OSI Certified.
A ten-point definition of what guidelines "true" open source software must follow. One of the key points specifies that the code must be freely available-though this does not mean a company can't charge for putting the source code and installation program on a disc, and including user manuals and support as part of their value proposition.
Engine of Change
This condition "must be freely available but companies can charge for it," understandably causes a lot of confusion. Imagine, for instance, a warehouse full of working components of a car-engines, transmissions, brake systems-all free for the taking.
This is a dream come true for an auto manufacturer or for the mechanic who loves building cars. For the average person though, it might be worth it to pay someone to walk through this warehouse and choose the best engine for their needs, package and ship the engine to their home, and install the free engine into their car with a guarantee to come fix the engine if there are any problems.
Software companies who sell proprietary software say that a company that doesn't have a financial motive to make the software better usually won't. Open source advocates say that companies don't make software, programmers do. So, if programmers have a reason to work on open source projects-because they want to use the best software possible for themselves, or make a name for themselves that translates into higher-paying day jobs-then software that places functionality and usability above all else will get developed.
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