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Here is an article that all should at least read. It's subject is a favorite of mine, Open Source Software. Free as in free beer, and free as in free speech. You may be used to the free beer understanding of free software, but if your not aware of the free speech aspect of it all, I invite you to read my article. So lets start with the most obvious question...
What is Open Source Software (OSS)?
It is software which you may download free of charge for it's source code. Source code(s) are the plain language files used to create a program, whether that program is made from C,C+,Java,Python,Ruby, you name it. Any project or code made in anything can be Open Source.
Why use Open Source?
Because projects evolve to what the community wants in open source, if you create something great, imagine dozens of people wanting ot contribute to your project here and there, submitting patches to add features and fix bugs. Also other programmers might see things you have missed, or say perhaps you decide you dont wish to work on this project anylonger, someone can pick up the torch. Everyone has ownership to an Open Source project, unlike other projects. If you have Windows installed, you dont own it, you merely own the license to use it, that isnt necessarily bad, we all have a choice to use what we like. Dont forget to always respect this. If however you use an Open Source OS, such as Linux, or FreeBSD, you have the right and are very encouraged to improve upon it, you have an equal ownership to that code as anyone else, you may even totally change it and release it as your own under your name, provided it remain just as open under the original license, that is your only term to agree to.
But you can never make money from Open Source!
Not true at all, though for some you can make more money in closed than open in certain circumstances. But there are those out there who make money on open source, Apple as one such example as used open source as a leverage for people to buy their products, in turn having the community aid them in the development of those open projects to improve them, leveraging their appriciation and business moreso than before. Google sponsors alot of Open Source projects, they have what is called 'Summer of Code' where they fund such projects, also Google is in use of many Open Source products.
Sometimes giving away your best innovation can be the smartest idea you've ever come up with. In order for your idea to be truly appriciated, you need users correct? But you dont only want your idea appriciated, you want money because of it. Which sounds better, charging $200 for something to where people might consider the solution from 'the other guys' instead because they have been around longer and probably have a better product? Or try this, release it free with the sourcecode to have thousands try it, as they have nothing to lose. Use this product to market yourself, everyone has tried it and really love it, you will have so many contracted programming jobs to solve corporation's tech woes you wont know what to do.
OK, So how would I get started with using Open Source?
Well, it all depends, there are so many open source projects out there, for example the ivirtua forum is based on phpbb, an open source forum under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
On the other hand, there are entire operating systems, such as all the distributions of Linux and free UNIX variants like BSD. Mac OSX is open too, as it's kernel is based on the Mach Microkernel from BSD licensing, it also incorporates many ported features of the FreeBSD kernel. You can download the kernel source from Apple, its named Darwin. Launchd is also part of Apple's list of Open projects.
To make things somewhat easier for people to try some open projects, heres a list..
The GIMP -- http://gimp.org -- GNU IMAGE MANIPULATION PROGRAM -- alot like photoshop. Some even prefer it.
Open Office -- http://openoffice.org -- Open Source Office suite, I take it over MS office anyday, can do anything it does except it doesnt cost $300, and it creates PDFs, which youd pay another $200 for at least for adobe acrobat.
Mozilla Firefox -- http://getfirefox.com -- The Firefox web browser -- Although I myself prefer the old mozilla suite (I dont know why, its less memory hungry I guess) this is a very ncie browser and it is
most compliant to w3c standards than all other browsers, however doesnt yet pass the acid2 test due to some of the missing functionality that there is.
Why do you use Open Source? I mean is it better or faster? is it safer?
Well I dont use Open Source because its faster or better necessarily, nor safer. Although in many cases this is proven true, and some cases proven false, bugs are everywhere, even in OSS. I choose to use OSS because of the pure fact that its Open and that I have ownership to it. I appriciate the right to alter anything I want and not get prosecuted by corporate lawyers. and though I dont really exercise this right, it doesnt mean that I dont appriciate that it was given to me.
I stand here an advocate of Open Source Software, and will continue to support people's freedom to code, as mine.
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pyrox City: Theres no place like 127.0.0.1 • iVirtua Members • Articles: 3
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