Open Source software began soon after computers became main stream in offices and then homes. In a nut shell, Open Source refers to software developed under a set standard of rules that developers agree upon to make the software freely available, no penalties for copying or sharing the programs (in fact, it is encouraged to share the software), the source code (programming) must be made available to anyone, and the software must also have no restrictions on others making variations of the software. You can read an exact definition and read the licensing information at the Open Source Initiative web site here.
Open Source software seems to be gaining more and more traction in the computer world as budgets start to tighten in an uncertain financial climate. This week, OpenOffice.org released the newest version of their Open Source office suite software. I’ve been using the beta version of the software for a couple of months and find it to be quite good. OpenOffice is considered one of the bright lights in the Open Source software world and for good reason. It offers an extremely viable option to Microsoft Office and gains new users and fans every single day.
Another Open Source darling is Linux and its various forms (distros). Linux is an Open Source operating system and the poster child for it today is Ubuntu. Ubuntu, like OpenOffice, garners new fans by the thousands every single day because it offers a real alternative to Microsoft Windows for no cost.
Just yesterday, I read an article by Matt Hartley titled 10 Simple Methods for Happily Running Ubuntu. I enjoyed the article, but number 7 in his list stuck with me the most. It was titled, There is no free lunch. He described Open Source as being free from any initial monetary investment, but that Open Source refers more to freedom of use than free ride. What he refers to is that although Open Source software doesn’t cost any money, it does require an investment in time. Time to learn the software, time to research and troubleshoot answers to your questions, and time shared with others on public bulletin boards or other forums sharing any solutions to problems you found or sharing tips that you might have about a particular software. Matt’s sage description stresses the importance of the Open Source movement as being an active solution that everyone can and should contribute to versus a passive one where you take something but never return anything.
I think I’m drawn to Open Source software for a few reasons. 1) The talent and knowledge of the programmers who develop the software amaze me. 2) The thought of being self-reliant and learning to use resources (existing knowledge and collaboration with others) to solve a problem makes sense to me and is extremely self-satisfying, and 3) Paying money for something that doesn’t completely solve a problem for me doesn’t make a lot of fiscal sense.
Getting more people to adopt Open Source software is not always easy. I think this is so because consumers are so brand conscious these days. If it doesn’t have a flashy logo or name on the software or device, then it can’t possibly be worth their time…especially if it is free. I try to look at anything I buy or use from a perspective of; can it do what I need it to do, can it do it efficiently, and can I readily find help for it when I run into a problem or need to learn something new. Open Source often time does fit the bill quite nicely. Sometimes it does not. However, I think any computer user owes it to him or herself to investigate Open Source alternatives to commercially available software. You may be surprised at the quality and functionality of Open Source software while at the same time saving money and becoming a little more knowledgeable and self-sufficient when it comes to your computer use.
Photo by Antikris
