Open Source

- or - 'get Microsoft'?

The importance of source code

two main cases:


source code  ----> compiler  --->   machine code .exe file

or

source code  ---> interpreter

It is not possible to 'reverse-engineer' the source code from an exe file.

Traditionally, companies keep the source code, and only sell the .exe.

The Open Source movement suggest that the code should be released -

so that e.g programmers can maintain it, or collaborate on improvements, testing...

Successes

Linux - later
Apache - leading web server
C compiler - GNU
Perl - major scripting language
Internet OPEN standards - e.g html, http, ftp...

Some personalities

Stallman, Torvalds, Raymond

Richard Stallman

Wrote the Unix GCC compiler - high quality.
and EMACS editor
Created the FSF - Free Software Foundation(1984)
'Free'(dom) as in speech, not as in beer.

If software is supplied under the 'free' license, you can:

modify
re-distribute
but NOT restict future modification by others
sell it (with source)

With FSF, freedom is the principle - they take the moral high-ground.
You CAN sell 'free' software. Free - in this case - means 'open', not zero-cost.

Eric Raymond

involved in several o.s projects
a major writer/ philsopher for the movement.
released Microsoft's internal 'halloween documents' which were plans on how to subvert the Linux movement.

Linus Torvalds

wrote a version of the Unix kernel for PC. (FSF wrote many of the other components but did not produce a kernel. His stuff completed the jigsaw)
100's of programmers contributed, over the web.
LINUX - Op Sys. high-quality (reliable) - used on 26% of servers
now has GUI toolkits
Apache can also run under linux.
100s of programmers helped Linus (why?)
he wrote the first version, and co-ordinated enhancements
conventional wisdom - lots of programmers cause confusion.

open source view: huge numbers of people can crack any problem. Benefits:

products are often reliable, customisable
support can be good - but you pay for it.

Note: The Open Source movement stress these benefits, whereas the FSF stress the moral side.

Problems - money?