Open Source use in HE institutions
Open source software is already in use in most UK universities, whether in the context of mail servers, teaching systems, scientific workstations, or student desktops. It is, however, not yet usually part of an institutional strategy.
Interoperability is the principal reason cited by HE institutions for considering the deployment of open source software. This is because open source development tends to support open standards. The JISC-funded CETIS (Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards) service represents UK Higher and Further Education on international educational standards initiatives. Additional factors that can give open source deployments an advantage in HE institutions are:
- No licence surprises. Open source licences are free and perpetual, so a licence fee increase cannot happen
- No incentive for theft. There is pressure on students to have course software available at home, and this can lead to theft. With open source software students can use the software legally
- The lack of secrets. The working of the software is available for anyone to inspect, something of great importance for security auditing
- The ability to tailor the system completely to local needs. Both open and proprietary software are typically customisable in a shallow sense - institutions can tailor the interface within the bounds given by the programmers. With open source, if an institution needs the software customised in ways not thought of by the programmers, they can have the program changed, either in-house or by a third party.
