Is Open Source a Synonym for Free Software ?

Posted by: Admin  :  Category: Open Source News

The market for open source and free software is surging high with its appreciation in mainstream segment also. The free software products like Linux or others are moving from the walled boundaries of servers to desktops and laptops. Recently, launched Ultra low cost laptops were supported on Linux and that came as a major breakthrough for it to garner some spotlight from tech analysts.

But still the concept of free software and open source software is not clear with many of us. We are confused at the basic level and interchanging the terms for each other. We use the terms Free Source and Open Source interchangeably and get them confused with the concept that they are available for free.

To some extent the concept gels with what we consider available for free but not in complete sense. The word free is basically the misnomer. We confuse it with free burgers but it should be considered for free speech. No doubt that some softwares from both the communities are available for free of cost and are offered as free downloads but not all utilities.

The two communities working with the aim of offering freedom to developers are working in the same direction but are literally and fundamentally different in their approaches. Till 1998, they were more or less same but after that the two movements separated with a different prospective, a different philosophy, and different motives.

The commonality in both the approaches is the open availability of source code to developers but the aim backing this approach is different with both the communities.

Where Free Software Community lays stress on providing source code to developers with the aim that user is free to do what he wish with the softwares source code. It is more philosophical in nature.

However, Open Source believes in offering source code to users with the aim that collaborative efforts can bring more subtle results. It has motivation that users can freely provide their suggestions for the source code and can append it to the existing one if results provided are efficient enough.



Both the communities lay stress on redistribution of code with no restrictions but the principles and motivations are different.

Where one seeks the liberty provided to users; the other targets the development of more efficient software programs with collaborative approach. Against the philosophical methodology of Free Software Community, the Open Source Community is driven by more practical reasons.

To some years the movements were working as a common alliance and Open Source was used as a marketing term for free software to reduce the ambiguity; but to worst it added more problems. So finally the two movements parted and started their own way.

Where the software developed by open source are more or less fits to zero-cost category, nothing like that can be defined for free software. To define it better, nothing which is free of cost can be a tailored fit for both the communities but cannot be turned off even.

Open Source is opposite to original context of Free Software. Free Software aims the freedom of users but Open Source aims the collaborative approach. The former stresses that users can freely see, modify and redistribute the code but latter has the approach that users can see the code but cannot modify it to suit its needs. In OSS, the liberty availed is in accordance of specific licensing agreements allowing one to fiddle with the code.

Free Software values freedom offered to users but Open Source believes in team development of software. Where one can be attached to social movement, the other is a development methodology. Both are against the patents and proprietary software, but cannot go hand in hand due to disagreement on certain principles.

To ask you, is GNU/ Linux is a free software or open source software Cannot answer surely; Linux is not an open source software but a product of free software community (as you are free to make modifications).

At crux, it can be said that both are different movements with differing principles but are fighting against the common objective Proprietary Software.

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Long Run of Open Source Software in Business World

Posted by: Admin  :  Category: Open Source News

Free and open source software has become the newest craze in business and IT world. The second question ?is it good for my business? now takes a secondary position. Both business owners and managers agree to the use of free and open source software.

The real buzz about open source is not hyped by any corporation or company. It is a group of self motivated IT professionals from across America and Europe are behind this newfound attraction of open source software.

The main advantage of open source software is that the users have full control over the source code of any program delivered under open source license. Now people become more and more sensitized about the advantages of having access to the root of a program.

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The main advantages that come with access to source code are Flexibility or adaptability, control, lowest possible costs, long term usage and upgrading without additional costs. The business house has to pay for coders and developers though.

Anyone is free to make any changes to software suites or programs released under Open Source License. Anyone can add, edit and make modifications to make the program work in any imaginable manner. The modifier is also allowed to resell the software.

Only restriction on such an open source license is that you have to provide access to the source code that you have modified or added. It is however not necessary to release source code of the modifications made to the original program if it is not distributed or sold. The developer company is free to use it for their own in house purposes. Whenever they sell it in the market, they have to license it under Open Source agreement.

Open source software projects, in most cases attract the fancy of skilled developers from around the world. They actively participate in collaborative development, fixing bugs and adding useful features. The end result will be a completely different software, may be many times useful than the original one.

jbilling Free Open Source Billing Software (http://www.jbilling.com/) remained the most active projects from among 137,389 open source software projects (as on Dec. 1, 2006) at SorceForge.net for quite a long time. SourceForge.net offers a collaborative environment for software developers develop open source software and is a source code repository which presently hosts many thousands of Open Source projects.

Open Source Billing Software project by jBilling has really picked up momentum and the present version 1.0.4 is available for free download at their website.

Open Source Technology: The Cost At The Enterprise Level

Posted by: Admin  :  Category: Open Source News

Abstract

Open source software has generated much interest, especially in the wake of a slow economy. This has forced many Information Technology (IT) departments to cut back on spending. One of the main reasons open source technology is being considered by more IT departments is because open source technology is perceived as being free of charge. While that perception is not all together true, this article will discuss an example of the real cost savings of open source technology as an enterprise system solution. All costs related to the implementation of an open source server operating system including the hardware costs to run the operating system software, training costs to setup the operating system software, support cost to maintain the operating system software, and staff salary to administer the operating system software will be recognized in this article.

Open Source Technology The Cost at the Enterprise Level

Open source refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. (Historically, the makers of proprietary software have generally not made source code available.) Open source software is usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available (Open Source, 2008). When companies are deciding on whether to use open source products versus commercial products the benefits of both choices are apparent. Commercial products typically favor visible features (giving marketing advantage) over hard to measure qualities such as stability, security and similar less glamorous attributes. Some experts describe this phenomenon as quality versus features (Benefits of Using Open Source, n.d.). This paper examines the enterprise level cost of an open source technology system. Different factors discussed in this paper include the cost of open source software, the cost of open source hardware, the cost of open source training to support this platform, and the salary requirements for open source administrators. For the purpose of this paper, the total cost of ownership of an open source production database server will be discussed in detail.

There are many different distribution options or flavors a technology manager can choose from that are considering an open source operating system. Linux is about freedom and choice, so one has plenty of freedom to choose the flavor of Linux that best fits the business needs (Linux Distributions, n.d.). Common flavors of Linux include:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Mandrake Linux The Fedora Project The Debian Project Knoppix SUSE Linux Slackware Linux MEPIS Linux Ubuntu Linux Xandros PCLinux OS Linspire

Jim Klein (2009) writes that Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) can be defined as all of the costs of acquiring and maintaining a network of computers. This includes the cost for Hardware and software technology client computers, servers, software, printers, networking equipment, external service providers

Direct labor – those responsible for purchasing, training, implementation, management and support of the computer environment Indirect labor time spent by users in training, dealing with computer and networking issues, and effect of computer or network down-time.

Red Hat Linux is one of the most supported Linux operating systems on the market. Red Hat provides operating systems for the individual users as well as the large enterprises. When pricing operating systems its very important to know the hardware that this operating system will reside on. For example, it makes a difference if this operating system is a dual processor or a quad processor. For the purpose of this paper, the server we want to install Red Hat on is a quad Intel processor. Because this server is a production server, 24/7 support is required. According to Red Hat, the best license option for this configuration is the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform, Premium Subscription (Server Operating Systems, n.d.). When you subscribe to a Red Hat subscription, youre renting the use of that software. With the Premium Subscription of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform you get the following:

Unlimited CPU processors Unlimited virtualized guests Red Hat global File System and Cluster Suite Web and phone-based comprehensive support 24×7 coverage 1 hour critical response (4 hour normal response time) Red Hat Network Update Product Updates Installation and documentation media Covered under the Open Source Assurance program Server applications to include ISV applications, Apache, Samba, nfs, ftp, Tomcat, MySQL, and PostgreSQL

For the purpose of this paper the server this Red Hat software will run on will be a Dell PowerEdge Energy Smart Quad Core Intel Xeon L5410 server. This server comes with 8 Gig of ram and 3 73 gig hard drives. The cost of this server is $6250.00 (Dell, Select Components, n.d.). This hardware is approved by Red Hat as a supported hardware platform.

The skill sets required to support an open source environment requires a person who completely understands how each component in an environment works. In most environments this persons title would be a Linux administrator. A capable Linux administrator will have a variety of skills. Jay Beal (2004) provides skill sets a Linux Administrator should have would include security, operating system hardening, software installation, hardware installation, system assessment, troubleshooting, and intelligence gathering (Essential Linux Skills, 2004).

Security in any environment is essential. A Linux administrator must understand that any port on any server is venerable to an attack. Every port must be accounted for and the Linux administrator needs to know what log files are tracking all port traffic. Those log files need to be monitored daily for malicious attacks. In case an attack occurs, a Linux administrator should know how to recover from a server that has crashed.

Most default server installations install more services that are generally needed. A Linux administrator needs to be aware of the purpose of the server and understand specifically what services need to be running and just as important, what services do not need to be running. Those services that do not need to be running should be shut down and the Linux administrator needs to recognize these services and shut those services down along with the ports they use.

At some point, the server may need software and/or hardware upgrades. A Linux administrator needs to be prepared to apply upgrades or patches for software upgrades. Those software patches may require more hardware in order to run optimally. In this case a Linux administrator needs to be comfortable upgrading the hardware if there is a need to do so.

Finally, the Linux administrator needs to be able to assess the system and if there is concern, research the problem and find the solution. Because open source software is mostly supported by the community, it can be tedious to find solutions to complex problems. If the Linux administrator is fortunate, support is paid for when the subscription is obtained. If support is not paid for, the Linux administrator has to rely on good research skills to solve the problem.

Finding a good Linux administrator to administer the open source environment is hard to do. When you do find them, it is obvious that they are in great demand by the salary requirements they are demanding. A seasoned Linux administrator that is industry certified will demand as much as $90k 120k per year if he/she is considered a full-time employee (Salary Search, n.d.). Linux contractors range from $60.00 $120.00 per hour.

One of the benefits of having an open source environment is training courses are usually reasonably priced. The only difficulty is finding a training center that specializes in open source technology training. Most 3-day classes will range anywhere from $1200 to $1400 dollars per class. Most 5-day classes will range from $1800 – $2200 dollars per class. If your Linux administrator is a good self-learner there are many options online that he/she can take advantage of. Many websites offer free online training videos and free training manuals for anyone interested in taking advantage of them.

As it is evident, the notion of open source technology being free is far from true. However, many experts agree that the total cost of ownership is less than it would be if commercial software was being used. Dan Orzech (2002) writes that the cost of Linux is roughly 40% that of Windows, and only 14% that of Sun Microsystems Solaris based on a study of various operating systems over a 3 year period. Below is a table that summarizes the total cost of ownership for a typical open source database environment.

Total Cost of Ownership
(Annual)

Description of Service

Cost

Linux OS Software including Premium Support

$1299.00 per year

Linux Administrator

$100,000 per year

Ongoing Training

$1500.00 per year

Total Cost

$102,799.00 per year

Total Cost of Ownership

(One-Time Cost)

Server Hardware

$6250.00 purchase price

Total One-Time Cost

$6250.00

As one can see from the table above, open source technology is not free. Open source proponents and proprietary companies disagree on the total cost of ownership. Proponents claim that even if open source requires more expertise, the TCO is ultimately lower. Companies claim that the required expertise is daunting and the other costs of proprietary solutions are exaggerated (Open Options, 2005). Yes, there are some ways that prices could be cut. The Linux administrator could be contracted out on an as needed basis. It is also possible to purchase a server with fewer features and less processors if cost was a factor when purchasing hardware. Training could be kept to a minimum or even limited to online training only. Even with all this being said, the myth that open source technology is free just is not a true statement, especially in a production environment. However, open source technology is the preferred technology in many IT shops for reliability reasons.

Jeff Merritt

Build Solid Ecommerce Applications Using Open Source

Posted by: Admin  :  Category: Open Source News

To be successful and to stay competitive in the ever changing business world, a business should be able to adapt modern changes that should be applied. E Commerce has been proven to be an effective way to help your business to achieve these goals. With proper marketing strategy and building a solid E Commerce application, these can be all possible.

Web site plays a vital role in business. However, website should be meeting the business need. There are many ways to manage your web site. From simple Web log (blog) engine system that allows limited publishing content to a full content management system framework to application framework, on which you can build your own custom content management system.

Using an Open Source Content Management Solution can help you build a solid E Commerce Application. It is an easy to use solution that allows an individual to easily create, publish and manage and organize a great variety of content on your Web site. It will give you frameworks which are well written, robust and extensible.

Choosing the best Open Source Solution in building E Commerce should be a very wise decision to make. It should be easy for you and to anyone to adopt in the solution. Below are some vital features of an Open Source solution that you need to consider:

? Friendly URLs using Apache’s mod_rewrite capability
? Easily extensible using module framework (The community has developed many useful modules that provide functions such as taxonomy display, jabber authentication, private messages, bookmarks, and so on.)
? A personalization environment for individualized content and presentation based on user preferences
? Role-based permission system to define access to the viewing and editing of content
? Content is fully indexed to support search
? Support for other content forms such as polls, threaded comments, and discussions and content syndication
? Separation of content from styling in a templating system that uses HTML, CSS, and PHP
? Administrative support for logging, analysis, and Web-based administration
? Online help

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Pegasys is a Global provider of professional IT Services. We offer the best services at a cost effective pricing resulting in quick Return On Investment(ROI). Our Services include CRM Services, Sales Effectiveness Solutions, E-Commerce Solutions, Smart Assistant Services, Custom Software Development and much more.

The Global Sourcing Success Story

Posted by: Admin  :  Category: Open Source News

The world has become a much smaller place since international trade has opened its arms wide. As such, geographical boundaries are just topography features. People have moved way beyond that. In respect to international business opportunity, developed nations are now readily doing business with developing nations. In this perfectly harmonious atmosphere, global sourcing and multinational purchasing have spread their arms till the oriental empire. This in turn has increased business opportunity in these sectors.

-The reason for growth

The reason why global sourcing is such a rage is because it proves to be a strong foothold right from the initial stages. This is because it helps you save money. The reason why anyone opts for global sourcing is because you identify cheaper global sources and learn to make them work towards your benefit. This in turn creates many a business opportunity for multiple traders along the way. When multinational purchasing takes place in such a large platform, the avenues for business open up.

There are various middlemen involved in the procurement section. The job needs to be completed in a specified time limit while adhering to quality parameters. In such an atmosphere there are many types of business opportunity that are created. From transporting, packing, procuring, insuring, purchasing and other related tasks, global sourcing certainly create quite a stir. The activity is heightened because a multinational purchasing venture is important for all parties involved.

A successful completion of any global sourcing venture ensures that the buyer is on a profitable lead and for sellers it equates to strengthening international ties and securing more business. For the success of any global sourcing venture it?s important that there is rightful identification and this is done by established International procurement organizations (IPO?s). The process is difficult and correct identification equals maximum profits. For this reason, multinational purchasing ventures are carried out after detailed studies and research to find the best deal.

To ensure that such a business opportunity is not wasted, all suppliers put their best foot forward. The need here is to provide the best services, supply quality products in a timely manner and bag the contract. Such a deal, not only helps cover costs and carve a niche in the market, it ensures that you are considered a top contender in future multinational purchasing deals. Global sourcing is the need of the day and competition is cut throat.

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