Open Source Software, Free Software

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Open Source Software, Free SoftwareTags: Software

Everyonehas heard me talking about Open Source software - I'm a big fan of it. But what does it really mean, besides "free software" (whichcan also be something else)?  The OpenSource Initiative defines opensource software as (don't let me lose you here) "a development methodfor software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparencyof process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability,more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in." Whew.  In plain English, open source software is releasedalong with its "source code" so that anyone can look at how it'swritten and even make changes and improvements.  I like open sourcebecause, besides being free, I often find the software really is higherquality than the paid stuff.  And the support is usually from well-qualifiedpeople posting on online forums, which is vastly superior to trying tocall (and pay for!) tech support from a big company.

What you're reading right now is a greatexample of open source software.  This blog, as I mentioned a whileback, is written in BlogSphere, an open source blog for Lotus Notes fromOpenNTF.org,an open source community for Lotus Notes applications.  If you havesent me e-mail sometime in the last year or so it has made it's way throughASSP,a fantastic open source server-based anti-spam solution.  An interestingfree alternative to the very pricey Microsoft Office is OpenOffice.org. Finally, if you have called me in the last year you've heard oneof my favorite open source applications, Trixbox,an unbelievable, yet free and open, phone system.  Thankfully allof the above applications have terrific online communities, because they'renot always the easiest to set up initially, especially ASSP and Trixbox.

As far as free software goes, thereare great free alternatives that aren't necessarily open source.  Ifyou are one of my home clients chances are you're using free anti-virusand spyware protection software that is better than what a lot of peoplepay for.  For remote support you're using a mostly open source solutionthat allows me to access your computers remotely to help you out.

The open source community is give andtake, too.  I recently published a Lotus Notes based contact relationshipmanagement application called (what else?) the Good Management System. It is available on OpenNTF.org,free for the taking.Download File Posted by Bill Greenberg On 03/29/2007| Digg This | Permalink

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