Open Source Concepts

Open Source Concepts

Introduction

Free software and compilers were provided with early computer hardware. With these human understandable code the user can modify, add new code and identify the errors.

Can anyone change the codes in open source software?

Open source software has been developed by a variety of programmers. However, to add a new change to the software,the modified code will be submitted to a group of dedicated programmers. These programmers then test the modified codes and if it satisfies the appropriate rules, it will then be distributed to all.

Why it is called open source?

Open Source simply refers to making the source code of the software freely available for users or other developers to use and make changes into the original repository or fork the project into and build a new one. Open source software is usually created and updated by many programmers around the world and made freely accessible. Proprietary software is owned by an organization or individual. The makers of proprietary software have not allowed the users or other developers to view or edit the source code. But the advantage of the proprietary software is that it gives more control, support, training, security and stability for user making the software reliable to the users

In a network it is not easy to find problems. Especially when there are more systems are connected, the complexity is more, so we need Network Software to Control, Analyse the Server, System, protocol, Network, Traffic flow and reports about ups and downs of network parts. Notification help the user and administrator easily find working status of network systems and hardware, alert message, give details of faults, where and when it happens.

NRCFOSS

National Resource Centre for Free and Open Source Software is an Institution of Government of India. It helps in development of FOSS (Free Open Source Software) in India.

Organizations related to Open Source

● Apache Software Foundation

● The Document Foundation

● The Eclipse Foundation

● Free Software Foundation

● Linux Foundation

● OpenCourseWare Consortium

● Open Source Initiative

BOSS

BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) Operating System Developed in India by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) helps to prompt the use of open source software in India. It supports many Indian Languges.

Types of open source license

● Apache License 2.0

● BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised” license

● BSD 2-Clause “Simplified” or “FreeBSD” license

● GNU General Public License (GPL)

● GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License (LGPL)

● MIT license

● Mozilla Public License 2.0

● Common Development and Distribution License

● Eclipse Public License

When you change the source code, OSS requires the inclusion of what you altered as well as your methods. The software created after code modifications may or may not be made available for free.

Open-Source Software vs. Free Software

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, OSS is slightly different from free software. Both deal with the ability to download and modify software without restriction or charge. However, free software is a concept developed in the 1980s by an MIT computer science researcher, Richard Stallman who defined four conditions - as outlined by the nonprofit Free Software Foundation. These “four freedoms” emphasize the ability of users to use and enjoy software as they see fit.

In contrast, the OSS criteria, which the Open Source Initiative developed a decade later, place more emphasis on the modification of software, and the consequences of altering source code, licensing, and distribution.

Obviously, the two overlap; some would say the differences between OSS and free software are more philosophical than practical. However, neither should be confused with freeware. Freeware usually refers to proprietary software that users can download at no cost, but whose source code cannot be changed.

Open-Source Software and Developers

OSS projects are collaboration opportunities that improve skills and build connections in the field. Domains that developers can contribute to the open source community include:

● Communication tools.

● Distributed revision control systems.

● Bug trackers and task lists.

● Testing and debugging tools.

How Open Source work

Benefits of Open Source software and tools

● There are many open source softwares. so, we can select and use any software that suits our needs.

● The complete options of the software can be used without any cost and restrictions.

● We can share our ideas with the team, write the required code and share it with many.

● As we can identify the programming techniques of group members, we can learn many ideas and make our program writing skills more efficient.

● The coding in open source softwares are being groomed by many enthusiastical members of the group. So if we report problems that we have in the program they are quickly mended by the group’s effort.

● As we can make changes to the open source softwares, we can add the most required features in the software

● Many open source software are very user friendly.

Like benefits Open source Software also have Some Problems Like Difficult to work for beginners, Exchange of files to other softwares, Some times Lack of Responsibility, service and problems related to hardware compatibility

Example of open source Application software

NS2 , OPEN NMS, Ubuntu , MySQL, PDF Creator, Open Office, 7zip GNUCASH, GIMP, BLENDER, AUDACITY, VLC, MOZILA FIREFOX, MAGENTO, ANDROID, PHP