The source is open, so don't spill!

The edit function we are given in Microsoft Word is a completely different function to the edit functionalities of OpenOffice. Within Word we can edit our work, but the program remains static. OpenOffice on the other hand allows us to edit our creations; whilst at the same time is editable itself. This simple function is the beauty of open source software. The mission statement of OpenOffice was "To create, as a community, the leading international office suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access to all functionality and data through open-component based APIs and an XML-based file format." (Wikipedia 2008). It is under this principle that open source software is taking the world by storm.

Eric Raymond (1998) may just have it right; there's an itch to scratch, and this itch can only be satisfied by people making their input. So how is the itch satisfied? At the most basic level open source software is software production, created by users, which relates back to the notion of produsage. This software creation is achieved through giving people access to the programming, or source code, which 'makes' the software. But we cannot always reach this itch, and this is reflected by the closed source model (Bruns 2008). Under this production model the source code of a product such as Microsoft Word is closely guarded and protected under intellectual property. This protection prevents people taking the software product, which the company uses to make profit, and creating their own version and redistributing it, which in essence is still illegal (Bruns 2008).

But with open source software we suddenly have a back-scratcher to reach the itch. Open source software in its basic form is software which is distributed under a limited rights licensing system (Bruns 2008), instigated by the Open Source Initiative. With open source software we the users are allowed access to the source code to change and add functionality (should we possess the skills to do so) as we like. The only catch here is that what you create as an open software creator cannot be capitalised from, and it must be freely available to others on a free basis (Bruns 2008).

For some extra comparison on the differences between open source software and commercial production follow this link.

So what are the advantages of open source software? Put simply it is suitability. Even commercially available software may not suit your own specific needs, with open source functionality can be personalised and as such the software code can be changed and adapted for any particular individual's needs (Wheeler 2007). So what we fundamentally end up with is an abundance of software versions available to the wider community, with each version serving a slightly different purpose.

What I find interesting is the apprehension that some people feel towards open source programs. I know that I was personally reluctant to try Firefox, one of the most popular open source programs. However after trying it Firefox has fast become my favourite web-browser, and whilst I do not have the ability to edit the program myself I have noticed the sheer quality of the product. Linux (an open source operating system) has also been noted for its stability and reliability; it simply does not crash as easily as its commercial counterpart Windows does. Why, I hear you ask? Simple really, the bugs and faults are found and edited out by users, thus the beauty of open source, the best and strongest form is constantly, and freely, available. Though the big-gun commercial corporates may claim otherwise, open source software is truly the way of the future.

Bruns, A. 2008. KCB201 Open Source Software. Week 9 Podcast. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_29175_1 (accessed May 1, 2008).