What is Open Source?

What is Open Source Software?

Open source software is software like any other. However it is distinguished by its license, or terms of use, which guarantees certain freedoms, in contrast to closed proprietary software which restricts these rights. Open source software guarantees the right to access and modify the source code, and to use, reuse and redistribute the software, all with no royalty or other costs. In some cases, there can be an obligation to share improvements with all.

These, apparently simple guarantees, have powerful implications: 

> Encourage reuse

> Enable innovation, flexibility, easier integration

> Drives down price of software to zero

> No vendor or service monopoly means no reason to hide defects and security vulnerabilities

> No single-vendor means diversity of support and services choice, sustained competition is a customer benefit

> No vendor monopoly means no reason to avoid free and open standards

> Darwinian evolution‖ improves key software

> Lower barriers to entry, widens participation

In general terms, open source software is licensed under terms which allow the user to practise, the so called four freedoms...

1. Use the software without access restrictions, within the terms of the licence applied

2. View the source code

3. Improve and add to the object and source code, within the terms of the licence applied and this may include a term making it mandatory to publish modified code on the community website

4. Distribute the source code. 

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) maintains the Open Source Definition (OSD), and is recognised globally as the authority on certifying whether a license is truly open source. There is no reason why any public body would deviate from the OSD and the OSI certifications of true open source licenses. Whilst there are many open source licenses, the majority of commonly used software uses the same handful of common licenses. This means that the legal and commercial overhead for understanding and managing open source licenses is significantly reduced.

It is common for the open computing community to distinguish between ―free‖ meaning zero-price, and "free" meaning the liberty and guarantees discussed above. To help distinguish the two, the term "libre" is increasingly used for the latter.

There are a variety of licence models for open source, where each licence model has specific terms for the use and modification of code. For this reason, it is important to understand both the specifics of the open source licence in question and how the Department intends to use and redistribute any modified OSS. 12 The most widely known models are:

a. GPL version3, and version 2 is still widely used

b. GNU Lesser General Public Licence (LGPL)

c. BSD Licence

d. Mozilla Public Licence (MPL)

e. Apache Licence

Pros and cons of Open Source Solutions

In recent years the software and wider IT marketplace has developed to make open source products more competitive and easier to include in enterprise business solutions. However the suitability of open source is best determined on a case-bycase basis and requires a detailed and well-informed evaluation. A fair assessment needs to be made as to which solution offers the best value for the taxpayer, it is important to bear in mind that there will be pros and cons for any solution.

Pros of Open Source may include : 

1. The acquisition cost, development and implementation contract costs are likely to be lower than for proprietary software. It is less likely that there will be contractually-bound upgrade costs. However, the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of usage must be taken into account.

2. Data transferability; with open source code and a move towards open data formats, there are greater opportunities to share data across interoperable platforms.

3. Increased opportunities for re use. Because open source is free from per user or per instance costs and there is a guaranteed freedom to use in any way, reuse is enabled.

4. Paying once for development (if at all) and reuse across government where appropriate, therefore offering cost effectiveness.

5. By virtue of their collaborative design, many user-facing open source products are intuitive for the user.

6. Potential for fast cycle time of releases and bug fixes; (dependent on whether or not there are people, resources and interest to develop the releases and bug fixes.

7. Opportunities for customisation and community innovation within government and the wider public sector, and also citizens, SMEs.

8. Open source licences do not limit or restrict who can use the software, the type of user, or the areas of business in which the software can be used. Therefore, OSS provides a licensing model that enables rapid provisioning of both known and unanticipated users and in new use cases.

9. Open Source solutions are scalable in both directions – upwards and downwards with a reduction in the risk of longer term financial implications. For example, procurers won‘t have to pay a licence fee on a "per user" or "per box" basis so they are not left with redundant licences.

10.Open source software can be operated and maintained by multiple suppliers encouraging competition and providing an opportunity for SMEs to compete in the government market; which lead to code sharing cultures, better citizen accessibility, and greater control over IT projects. Potential to reduce reliance on particular software developers or suppliers which could encourage competition and reduce commercial barriers to entry and exit for government.

11.Open source software is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and experimentation, where the ability to ―test drive‖ the software with minimal costs and administrative delays can be important. Proprietary software suppliers may also provide the same through a ‗proof of concept‘ phase at minimal or no cost.

Cons of Open Source may include :

1. If the source code is made available to the wider community, it is also vulnerable to threats from the hacker community. This may be mitigated by separating the development code from the version used in the final solution and/or using a test environment for updates before implementation.

2. Support and maintenance costs may outweigh those of the proprietary package and include "hidden" commitments. A full assessment of the total cost of ownership along with the proposed supplier will help to mitigate this risk.

3. Intellectual property rights – as code is modified and adapted by departments, there may be legal risks around whether the code retains its open source status and who owns the intellectual property rights of the modified code.

4. Those considering using and developing open source ‗in-house‘ must ensure that they have the right level of expertise to manage it effectively.

5. Large SIs may be reluctant to propose open source solutions which may generate less revenue and not be aligned with their product or skill set.

6. Open source solutions may require additional development to enable integration with an existing proprietary environment. Some open source solutions may never work well with established proprietary products.

7. Staff are traditionally trained (and practised) in using proprietary software programs, the introduction of new programs/software may require staff retraining in order to enable them to use open source solutions.

Examples for Open Source Softwares