Open Source Daily Journal

With the technological advancements in the Information Technology industry, it is not surprising that big business would try to cash in. With rising costs in operating and maintaining systems, technical support and the cost of software, the idea of free software or open software was conceptualized. Open source does not only cover the source code or the original programming text but it also pertains to the process of distribution of whatever software that is created under the open source concept.

Some distribution concepts of open source software are:
1. Redistributed for free
2. Distributed program must include source code
3. It must allow derived works and modifications
4. Keeping the integrity of the author’s code
5. Groups or Persons must not be discriminated
6. All fields of endeavor must be recognized
7. All rights are included in the distribution
8. No specific license for any product
9. No other software must be restricted
10. Technology neutral license

Source: www.opensource.org

1. Free Redistribution: the software can be freely given away or sold. (Intended to
encourage sharing and use of the software on a legal basis.)
2. Source Code: the source code must either be included or freely obtainable. (Without
source code, making changes or modifications would be impossible.)
3. Derived Works: redistribution of modifications should be allowed. (Allowing legal sharing and
to permit new features or repairs.)
4. Integrity of The Author’s Source Code: licenses will require that modifications are
redistributed only as patches.
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups: no one can be locked out.
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor: commercial users cannot be excluded.
7. Distribution of License: The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the
program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those
parties.
8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product: the program cannot be licensed only as part of
a larger distribution.
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software: the license cannot insist that any other
software it is distributed with must also be open source.
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral: no click-wrap licenses or other medium-specific ways
of accepting the license must be required.
(Source:The Wikipedia)

With the fourth month of the Writers Guild of America’s strike showing no signs of ending, some companies are taking a look at the key issues involved. One of the most publicized issued involves the profit sharing of proceeds from online distribution. With this on the table, some companies which include Founders Media Group, Hollywood Disrupted and Virtual Artist would like to meet with representative of the Guild in order to explore new avenues of experimentation in finding ways to resolve the issue. The group is putting forward the idea of alternative online distribution which just might hit the right note with the striking WGA.

From the very rise of an instant manufacturing to the growth of open-source business models, these trends show that innovation can bloom even in a grim economic climate.
Take a look at the nine trends driving business in 2008 — and a deeper explanation of the ever surprising secrets to Apple’s success. Last spring, the marketer and blogger Hugh MacLeod posted a question on his site: If an open source is such a phenomenon, where are all the open source billionaires? His audience wasn’t bit amused. The open source software relies on a community of a volunteer developer who amend program.

One of the key findings is that the open source software has had a superficial impact on all the enterprise database market in that adoption has been widespread but shallow. While the open source databases have been widely deployed for the Web-tier applications, there has been a minimal adoption in the enterprise application tier, and adoption for the enterprise applications is at this time limited to certain but specific application of workloads.
To which I’d always respond, yes, but you’ve got to start it somewhere, and it’s impressive to be able to start with some of the most and very demanding customers on the planet. It’s a bit like programming platforms in the entire enterprise.

That is a very difficult question to ask for big businesses who normally have complex customized programs that allows them to function as a business. But the economic conditions have been forcing a lot of thought into the technology, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of the many successful open source projects that have already been out on the market. To ask that question would result in varying answers depending on who you ask, for large companies that use large programs and technology would not be so keen on adopting such a public technology. This does not however mean that they are not considering them for even some of the staunchest developers of closed systems have been trying out some of these technologies on a limited basis, proving the benefits, which is mainly cost are enticing enough for them to take notice. Continue Reading »

More and more businesses are considering the benefits in terms of cost in re-deploying their previously closed programs onto open systems that can be quite prone to hacking. Security has been on the agenda and is one of the major focus of developers and technology experts who have been promoting the new and improved open-system designs. Securing a very large distributed system that uses open technology is a very large task but developers are getting there, finally agreeing on how best to approach the security of the many projects being deployed or are already in place. Continue Reading »

The methods at which businesses and communities are trying to reach out and garner members vary depending on the technology they are promoting. Imagine FireFox that has been a long time in the making, a product of the Mozilla Foundation that came up with a web browser that was not only faster but much better than the long standing leader of the pack, Internet Explorer. They considered the changing web and how people are using the web, designed a framework, published the designs and asked for comments, suggestions and just about anything you might want to say to improve on the proposed browser. Get back down and incorporate the best suggestions in terms of improvement and release the browser into the wild that is the internet, viola, success in the making. Continue Reading »

Ubuntu has long been in the background of more prominent open-source projects that has been silently creeping, making a name for itself. It is after all based on Linux that itself is based from of course Unix, one of the oldest languages that has ruled the realm of mini to mainframe computers in the infancy of the internet. One of the best benefits of Linux and other derivatives or flavors as they are called is the ability to strip unwanted parts of the base operating system leaving only the needed ones intact. This allows an old Pentium computer to become and FTP server making for a cheap and deployable form of technology in an old package. Continue Reading »

Firefox is hailed to be the best and most used browser to date which has taken over the much infamous Internet explorer from Microsoft. Why, the problems the software giant has with issues ranging from unfair commercial acts to plain ignorance of their user’s needs in terms of customization. The Fox is truly killing IE for millions now prefer to use it because they can totally customize their installation, with plug-ins that come from the users themselves who contribute to it’s improvement. Continue Reading »