Free and Open Source Software

Free and Open Source Software
(FOSS)
Dr.R.RAMNATH
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
Alagappa University
Karaikudi

Open source software?
• Open Source software is distributed with its
source code.
• The Open Source Definition has three essential
features:
– It allows free re-distribution of the software without
royalties or licensing fees to the progrommer [s].

Open source software?
– It allows anyone to modify the software or derive other
software from it, and to redistribute the modified
software under the same terms.
– It requires that source code be distributed with the
software or otherwise made available for no more than
the cost of distribution
• Steven Weber, The Political Economy of Open Source
Software, BRIE Working Paper 140,

Examples of open source software
• Operating Systems
– Linux
– FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD: The BSDs are
all based on the Berkeley Systems Distribution of
Unix, developed at the University of California,
Berkeley.
– Another BSD based open source project is Darwin,
which is the foundation of Apple's Mac OS X.

Examples of open source software
• Internet
– Apache, which runs over 50% of the world's web
servers.
– BIND, the software that provides the DNS
(domain name service) for the entire Internet.
– sendmail, the most important and widely used
email transport software on the Internet.
– Mozilla, the open source redesign of the Netscape
Browser
– OpenSSL is the standard for secure
communication (strong encryption) over the
Internet.categories.

Example of open source software
• Programming Tools
– Zope, and PHP, are popular engines behind the
"live content" on the World Wide Web.
– Languages:
• Perl
• Python
• Ruby
• Tcl/Tk
– GNU compilers and tools
• GCC
• Make
• Autoconf
• Automake

Open source software sites
• Free Software Foundation www.fsf.org
• Open Source Initiative www.opensource.org
• Freshmeat.net
• SourceForge.net
• OSDir.com
• developer.BerliOS.de
• Bioinformatics.org
• see also individual project sites; e.g.,
www.apache.org; www.cpan.org; etc.

Free/libre/Open Source Software?[FOSS]
• Users are allowed to run the software for
any purpose.
• Users are able to closely examine and study
the software and are able to freely modify
and improve it to fill their needs better.

Free/libre/Open Source Software?[FOSS]
• Users are able to give copies of the software to
other people to whom the software will be useful
• Users are able to improve the software and freely
distribute their improvements to the broader public
so that they, as a whole, benefit.

Important terms in Software
• Free Software
– Software that has freedom to use, modify and distribute to
others
• Open Source Software
– Similar to free software but stressed in source code availability
• Public domain Software:
– software that is not copyrighted

• Copylefted software:
– copyrighted with free distribution terms
• General Public Licensed (GPL) software
– A special case of copylefted software
• Proprietary Software:
– prohibited to use, redistribute and modify.
• Shareware:
– copyrighted software with special distribution and marketing
method{ We can try before we buy].

What is freeware?
• Software can be freely used and redistributed.
(zero price)
• Freeware often come with no source code.
• Freeware is not free software in which freedom
to modify and improve is the concern.
• e.g. Acrobat Reader, PowerArchiver, Real
Player

Free Software
• Permission to use, copy, distribute and
modified
• Source code must be available
• Sometimes called Open Source
• A matter of liberty, not price
• Gives freedom to run, study, redistribute
and improve the program

Major free software sites
• Sourceforge.net
– the world largest open source software development web
site
• Slashdot.org
– major community and news site with forum
• Freshmeat.net
– major software release announcement site
• Advogato.org
– the advocate site for free software developers

LICENSES
• GPL: you have to release source code if you link
against and distribute the binary, but don't if you just
provide a service
• AGPL: you have to allow the source to be downloaded
even if you never distribute the binary but do provide a
service
• LGPL: you can link against and don't have to release
source code as long as you don't modify the library
itself

Well known free software by category
• Operating System
– Linux (or GNU/Linux)
– FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD
– GNU/Hurd
• General Utilities
– GNU Utilities

• Programming Languages
– GNU C/C++
– Perl
– Python
– Tcl
• Windows System
– The X-Windows System
– XFree86

• Desktop environments
– GNOME
– KDE
– GNUStep
– XFce
• Web Browser
– Mozilla (Netscape 6,7)
– Firefox

• Productivity and Applications
– ABIWord
– GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
• Office Suite
– OpenOffice
– KOffice

• Server-type software
– Samba
– Apache
– PhP
– Zope
– MySQL
– PostgreSQL

Major organizations for Free Software
• Free Software Foundation
• Software in the Public Interest and its Debian GNU/Linux and
Debian GNU/Hurd projects
• Linux International
• The Open Source Initiative
• The XFree86 Project
• The Free Standards Group, parent of the Linux Standard Base
• The Apache Software Foundation
• The GNOME Foundation
• The KDE League

Reference URLs
• Association of Shareware Professionals
http://www.asp-shareware.org
• Free Software (Open Source)
http://www.free-soft.org
• GNU Project
http://www.gnu.org

Open Source vs Proprietary Software
Why choose proprietary software over open source? Survey says!by Matt Asay http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9789275-16.html

Open Source vs Proprietary Software
Why choose proprietary software over open source? Survey says!bMatt Asay http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9789275-16.html

Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software under
exclusive legal right of the copyright
holder The licensee is given the right to use the software
under certain conditions, while restricted from other
uses, such as modification, further distribution,
or reverse engineering

Proprietary software
In the software industry, commercial
software refers to software produced for sale,
which is a related but distinct categorization.
Complementary terms include free softwarelicensed
by the owner under more permissive terms,
and public domain software, which is not subject to
copyright and can be used for any purpose.
Proponents of free and open source
software use proprietary or non-free to describe
software that is not free or open source.

Open Source Software
Try for Yourself
Revolution OS
• “Revolution OS is a 2001 documentary which traces the history of GNU,
Linux, and the open source and free software movements. “
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=7707585592627775409
• Richard Stallman & Opensource
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZZraHN0Yg&feature=PlayList&p=
65CA10D0F42E48FD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7
• Free software CNet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fqlI9B6QU&feature=PlayList&p=65
CA10D0F42E48FD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=9
• Linux -- IBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwEWxpOWOok
• Linux commercials
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aufL76bXLAg&feature=related
Copyright © 2009 by Helene G. Kershner

THANK YOU
rrnathedu@gmail.com
rrnathedn@yahoo.co.in

Free and Open Source Software

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