TechEssence.info

Executive Summary

Open source software (OSS) is as much about "free" software as it is about a software development process. OSS is "free" but only as "free as a free kitten". There are costs associated with open source software but not the typical licensing fees associated with commercial software. OSS is also about a software development process -- a process very similar to the peer-review process in academia. Ideas and solutions are put forward, sets of peers examine the software, they recommend improvements, and the process begins anew.

What It Is

Open source software has its root in the mid-1980's when an employee of MIT got frustrated when they were unable to use their printer without proprietary software. This ultimately gave rise the GNU software ("GNU not Unix") and the idea of "copyleft." During the dot-com boom the idea of "free" software was seen as a difficult concept for businesses to grasp, so the term "open source" was coined to denote the same set of ideas.

Open source software is "free" but you should think of free as meaning liberty not gratis. "Free" open source software gives the user the right to modify the software for their own needs. Open source software is about freedoms, not necessarily about monetary costs. At the same time, open source software is almost always freely distributed but companies may charge fees for packaging and support.

Using open source software has the advantages of allowing you to try everything before commit to using it. You get to see all the documentation. You get to try out the software. You can almost always ask for technical support from the Internet community. Well worded questions get responses. There is no guessing when it comes to open source software because everything about the software is clearly laid out on the table.

What Can Be Done With It

Just about anything can be done with open source software. The vast majority of the Internet runs on open source software. Linux allows you to run your existing PC. OpenOffice is an almost 100% replacement for Microsoft Office. Mozilla is a more robust and secure Web browser than Internet Explorer. By "gluing together" select pieces of open source software (namely relational database applications and indexers) and combining them with well-established standards it is more than possible to create an integrated library system rivaling commercial systems. The problem is the initial development cost.

General purpose examples

• Linux - a computer operating system and probably the most recognized piece of open source software
• Apache - Web (HTTP) server software running the majority of websites across the Internet
• MySQL - a relational database system so robust you are challenged to fill it up and consequently break it.

Library-specific examples

• Koha - an integrated library system
• DSpace - a system used to support institutional repositories
• LOCKSS - a system used to preserve digital content
• MARC::Record - a set of object-oriented Perl modules used to read and write MARC data
• MyLibrary - a set of object-oriented Perl modules used to create digital library collections and services

Who Should Be Using It

To some degree, the answer is every library. More realistically, libraries who want to take advantage of computer technology as opposed to the other way around. Just as every reference librarian needs to know about MARC, just as every cataloger needs to know a bit about collection development, just as bibliographers need to know about a library's clientele, libraries need to know about open source software. Not every librarian needs to know how to put into practice open source software, but it behooves every library to know about it to some degree.

More Information

• OSS4Lib - a community of open source advocates for libraries
• Code4Lib - a community of programmers who work in libraries
• IndexData - a commercial institution creating and supporting library-based open source software
• LibLime - another institution supporting library-based open source software
• SourceForge - probably the largest collection of active (and inactive) open source software projects