What is Open Source?
Open source stands for software components and solutions whose source code is available, can be used, changed and distributed to other users along defined rules. These rules are defined in various license models - recommended reading in this context includes the Optaros whitepaper "Free and Open Source Licenses, Software Development, and Distribution" . Thanks to the openness of the code, everybody can analyze the software and understand how the solution works. Developers can take this solution or components of it, change it or build other applications based on it. Well known open source projects/products include Linux, the Apache web server, the database MySQL or the JBoss application server.
The term "open source" was defined in 1998, however free software
and sharing source code is a longstanding concept, especially in
research and university environments. Today we know about more than
140,000 open source projects. These projects, whose center is usually
one specific solution or component, differ in their state of
development and their maturity. Thanks to license model
standardization, the use, change and distribution of open source
software has become easier over time and follows legally sound
principles. On the basis of open source projects, new companies have
been created and shaped to make money based on the success of open
source technologies. Most of these companies do either distribute
closed and open versions of specific software (dual licensing), offer
support and maintenance services based on open source software or
provide consulting, training and systems integration services around
open source software.
Open source has changed and is changing the software industry for three reasons:
- Low cost and infinitely scalable distribution of the software through the internet
- Collaborative development process across time zones and geographies by often only loosely connected development teams
- Transparent access to the source code, allowing other projects to use and change the code and by providing the basis for new services offerings such as support and maintenance independently of owning the intellectual property
Commercial software players have reacted to the open source movement by lowering prices, acquiring open source companies, leveraging open source projects as part of their commercial products, bundling products with open source products and by offering commercial services for open source software.
Open source has gained a strong momentum across the world. Basically every enterprise and organization is using open source in one way or another. According to a recent survey conducted by InformationWeek and Optaros. 87% of all enterprises surveyed acknowledged their use of open source.
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