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Open source is frequently cited as one of the most important movements in modern software creation. It is supported by the European Commission, the UK government and JISC, and almost every higher education institution makes use of open source software. This introduction is adapted from a JISC Briefing Paper written by OSS Watch, a JISC-funded advisory service on open source. This introduction covers what the term 'open source' means; what the most common licences are; what the impact is on the education sector and where you can get more information.
What is Open Source Software?
'Open source' describes computer software for which:
- The source code is available to the end-user
- The source code can be modified by the end-user
- There are no restrictions on redistribution or use
- The licensing conditions are intended to facilitate continued re-use and wide availability of the software, in both commercial and non-commercial contexts
In every other respect there is no difference between this and conventionally-licensed software. The key differentiator is the licence. The term 'open source' is reserved for licences which are certified by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) to meet the criteria of the Open Source Definition (OSD).
There are several other features which many, but not all, open source software products have in common:
- The cost of immediate acquisition to the end-user is usually minimal; this is because the right to freely redistribute the software makes selling licences for copies of open source software an unlikely business proposition
- The development methodology of open source projects shares many characteristics with Agile programming, in that releases are frequent, features are added quickly after customer feedback, developers are often distributed geographically, and formal management structures are limited
- Many, but by no means all, open source projects are created and sustained by informal communities of developers, users and evangelists, rather than commercial companies
- Open source projects often serve as apprentice opportunities for junior developers to rapidly learn their trade by engaging in real-world development
It is important to understand that software which is developed by big companies such as IBM, Novell or Sun using conventional methods is being released under an open source licence just as effectively as that developed by a loose-knit community of graduate students working at night to improve their programming skills.
