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What Is Open Source?

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'Open Source' refers to the code (or 'source') of a program being available for free distribution and alteration by anyone (thus it is 'open'). It is an alternative to what is known as 'proprietory' code, where a person or company has the sole right to distribute or change the code as they see fit - usually at a price.

Programs based on open source code are free.

They must be free - both in terms of cost and distribution - because their development depends on the gradual improvement of their functionality by individual programmers around the world acting in collaboration and in their own time. For free. Improvements to the code base often come about when a new need for certain functionality surfaces, and someone adds that functionality to it and makes it available to everyone else.

It may sound as though open source software would not require a licence to go with it, but this is not true. All open source software carries with it an open source licence, but since this licence is in place solely to promote the free distribution and use of the software, it should not be seen as the kind of impediment or limitation which proprietary licences aim to be. It is important to remember that as a user of an open source system, you do not actually own it unless you make (or commission a third party to make) significant alterations to it. However what you do get is a licence for unlimited use. In real terms and in most situations, this can be considered de facto ownership.

For a licence to considered 'open source', it must satisfy certain criteria. To view a listing of the ten conditions which licences must meet in order to be considered 'Open Source' licences, please check the Wikipedia Definition of Open Source.

The upshot of all this is that open source programs mature on a continual basis, resulting in programs that are often even more stable, secure and feature-rich than expensive proprietary ones. The operating system of the server in which this website sits (Linux), the server software (Apache) and the website itself are all based on open source code.

Open source programs, then, are clearly attractive to small and medium sized organizations. So what are the drawbacks? Well, since open source projects are a collaboration of many and varied individuals rather than a highly organised corporation, and because there is often no financing for the group apart from donations, the kind of back-up products and services that you would expect from an expensive piece of software are usually absent or insufficent. Areas such as technical support, documentation and user-friendliness take a hit in open source projects. The installation and configuration of open source software is never as simple as clicking an icon. It takes technical know-how and an understanding of how your own needs and the requirements of the software itself can be satisfied in order to create the most effective solution to your organizational needs.

And that's where we come in..

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