Open Source for All - Yahoo! News

Open Source for All

Exclusive from: Ziff-Davis
Wed Aug 17, 5:33 PM ET


Tim Gnatek - ExtremeTech

In computing's early days, programmers would share their work between one another in the spirit of creativity and innovation, passing source codes among colleagues for new perspectives on tough programming challenges.

Then technology became big business, and the practice was pushed into the underground, as companies looking to protect their products replaced the ideals of the age with secrecy, non-disclosure agreements, and intellectual property lawyers.

Never fear, counterculture types. You can still liberate the code, and experience many other perks, by becoming part of the open-source movement.

With the steadily increasing number of open-source applications on the Web, there are more projects than ever to check out, covering nearly every imaginable application: from word processors and e-mail applications to media players and video games.

And although the yeoman's work on these developments does come from computer programmers, everyday users will still find that they can contribute to open-source software while taking advantage of these inexpensive alternatives to traditional, commercial software packages.

What is open source?

Programs that are open source generally have three things in common. Most notably, they're free. But so are many other kinds of software out there – like shareware, freeware and adware.

What further sets open-source programs aside from their budget-priced brothers is that their underlying source code is also free and open for others to examine, modify and update. Instead of hoarding the secrets of the programming innards, like commercial software, open-source programs encourage others to tweak the programs, fix bugs, and add features – essentially, they are invited to become part of the development team.

Open-source software can also be distributed freely: Copy it, give it to friends, even package and sell it if you like, as long as you continue to provide others the ability to do the same in accordance with the terms set by the Open Source Initiative, a nonprofit group that maintains the open-source standard.

Who's using open source?

Users of open source are constantly growing in number, as it becomes a more popular option for budget-minded operators, including nonprofit organizations like Greenpeace as well as many international governments. In Brazil, for example, cities like Recife and Amparo have encouraged the use of open source and limited proprietary programs like MS Office.

Berlin, Germany and Florence, Italy both encourage city groups to use open-source software as often as possible, and in France, the Federal Agency for Technologies of Information and Communication in Administration promotes free and open-source standards around the nation.

At one time, open source held the reputation of "developers only" software, as only those with engineering degrees could learn to use the programs without in-depth documentation and help. But as the programs have continued to develop in further iterations, they have become considerably friendlier to use, even for the inexperienced but adventurous end user.

Why try open source?

The more people with access to the source code, the better it will work; or, according to what Eric S. Raymond (The Cathedral & the Bazaar ) called Linus' Law after
Linux creator
Linus Torvalds, "With enough eyes, all bugs are shallow."

Because finding bugs is a key part of the development process, proponents argue that open source results in a superior product, because more people are looking for errors and new software tweaks can be released as needed.

Proponents also contend that open source is more secure than proprietary programs because having source code accessible makes for transparent programs: Users can look into the software's innards and know exactly how their personal information is protected.

There are warm and fuzzy benefits as well. Open source brings users into a development community working together for a common goal: the best product possible. Submitting bug reports and suggesting improvements are things that the average user can do to better the software product.

What kinds of software are available?

There are many categories of open-source software, from back-end networking tools to personal productivity, games and file-sharing applications. What's more, a great many have expanded to embrace commercial operating systems like Windows and Mac OS as well as community-developed ones like Linux, making it even easier for newbies to tread open waters.

Among the most popular open source programs are those that can stand in for the kingpins of commercial applications and run on multiple operating systems.

Because of the pervasiveness of Microsoft Office at home and work, and the fact that the professional version can fetch over $300, its open-source competitor, OpenOffice, is an understandably popular alternative. OpenOffice comes with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, Web page editor and drawing tool for inserting graphs and graphics into documents. Since last reviewed by PCMag.com, the program has gone through several more iterations; the latest stable release is version 1.1.4.

The GIMP editor is a robust image manipulation program that can replace proprietary programs like Photoshop as well as any associations with Pulp Fiction. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program; you can think of it as the open-source Photoshop. The program lets users paint, touch up photos, create animations and much more, with advanced tools and an ever-increasing number of plug-ins that add new filters and special effects to your image work.

Although Mozilla's Firefox may get the lion's share of attention, the group's e-mail offering, Thunderbird, has met with an equal amount of acclaim, and the slick package comes equipped with many features, like HTML and POP account support, spam filters and e-mail encryption and other security tools. With an add-on calendar program and easy importing of contacts from Outlook, Thunderbird makes a respectable substitute for the Microsoft product.

For a quick and easy way to get a sample pack of such free and open-source software, try the free OpenCD. Version 3.0, released in July, bundles 16 programs in a single download, including the above programs, along with games, multimedia applications and other tools. All work with Microsoft Windows, allowing users to experiment with the programs without making it necessary to first convert their computers to an open-source operating system like Linux. And if downloading the package proves too difficult, OpenCD sells the suite on a disk for $5.

Where can I find more programs?

One good place to look for software is SourceForge, which claims to be the largest development and download repository for open-source programs. The site lists more than 100,000 registered projects and boasts 1.1 million users, making it a great place to start searching for programs or looking for support. Other sites, like Freshmeat.net, also host program downloads, updates and information dedicated to the open-source community.

Where will it end?

Open-source concepts are beginning to extend beyond the bounds of software and into to other arenas as well. Wikis, for instance, permit open, community-based editing of information on the Web, while Creative Commons licenses offers a wide range of copyright options to authors and artists that often mirror the free, collaborative ethic of open-source software.

Such licenses have even gone on to inspire projects like OpenCola and OpenBeer, which share their secret formulas with the world as long as other makers share their recipes and credit the original work.

Should it end up on your computer, too? Open source software is great in concept, and there are a few notable programs that closely rival their commercial counterparts. The great majority, however, are works in progress.

For those who want simplicity and reliability, commercial packages may be your best bet – at least for day-to-day work. But if you're willing to experiment a little, and put up with some technical challenges, there is a wealth of programming - for free - in the open source community.

Tim Gnatek is a freelance journalist. He also writes about technology for the New York Times, and has covered science and innovation for news outlets like PBS FRONTLINE/World and The San Francisco Chronicle.