Open Source - Patrick Reidenbach

Freedom! DATA CENTERS
-hundreds of servers
-use up lots of power - contributes to global warming
…but there's new data centers developed (spaced efficient)
FOSS (Free or Open Source software)
FREE as in Freedom, not FREE as in LIBRE (doesn't mean that if it's a free software, you don't have to pay for it)
FREEDOM
…to choose best IT Software
…to copy and or modify software to conform to your needs (relevant to IP laws)
...To leave your provider for a better one
LINUX
-many kinds of Linux - may be modified…
-based on UNIX (OS invented by AT&T almost half a century ago - 1969)
Design:
1. Speed and portability
2. Stability
3. Security
-Linux is smaller than UNIX…
…when AT&T broke up, they wanted to commercialize it but many people protested it
GNU
-own version of UNIX, developed for free
-however, GNU was not able to make a stable version of UNIX
-creator of Linux is named Linus Torvalds…so Linus' Unix = Linux
…Linus did not profit from Linux, but is the spiritual leader of geeks everywhere…
OPEN SOURCE -Source code is open or made public
Comment on the elections: there something "duda" if they want to keep the source - there may be something wrong with it
…Microsoft sues persons who possess the source code of their software
-variants of Open Source because of GPL (GNU Public License)
FORK: 2 versions of the same software (when the original software developer doesn't adopt it)
RED HAT LINUX - most successful version
WHY USE OPEN SOURCE -provides better value
• More stable
• More secure
• Lower hardware requirements
• Provides features you need at a lower cost
• Improve rather than hamper production
Cathedral paradigm: don't open your source code to everyone
Bazaar paradigm: created a source code and let's anyone to make it "kalikot"
…Linus Law
Community provides a democratic development process
e.g. if corporate powers want a software background to be blue, you would take it as blue. But with open source, people can make their own versions (and you can make it pink if you want)
Freedom to choose (choices…)
-pay for your software or free version?
…but you can't have a free version of Microsoft
-bleeding edge or stable/established version
-not tied down by compatibility and license business
-Darwinian evolution process - survival of the fittest - if your software is lousy, people would not want it and it would die
-doesn't have to trust the vendor to find the flaws (but usually commercial software companies would not admit their flaws): when you find the blog, you could fix it yourself
e.g. Smartmatic - you would have to trust them to find the flaws in their codes
Provides a better value for money
-e.g. Steam engine
…when it was still patented, not much development in terms of efficiency and performance of the steam engine
…instead of hiring thousands of programmers to fix the bugs in your software, in open source thousands of users/programmers fix it for free
There's still money in Open Source
-for services
-sales of other products promoting the product
SUBSCRiptioN MODEL
• Proprietary Software
-pay for the license CAPEX (Capital expenditure) - license TO USE the software, no right to complain if there's bugs in the software...
-pay OPEX annually
-pay actually for the development of software (since they paid for people to develop the software)
• Open Source Software
CAPEX is zero, OPEX is optional (pay for the service, not for the license, not for its use)