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Open source now an accepted part of the software mix ..

posted by Ajit Jaokar on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 4:01 am

It has been a big week for open source this week with significant uptake of open source initiatives.

A version of the anonymous browsing software Tor was released for Android

Qualcomm, traditionally known for a closed environment started an open source division against the backdrop of a report from analyst house Juniper that open-source operating systems will increase from 106 million in 2009 to 223 million by 2014.

Microsoft extends Windows 7 and Azure to open source developers with the intention that the productivity and user experience of Windows 7 will be available to Eclipse IDE developers.

And most interestingly enough, the Defence Department Deputy Chief Information Officer David Wennergren issued a memorandum clarifying the use and development of open source software in Government

What do these initiatives indicate? It is great to see open source being widely adopted but it also indicates that open source will be a part of a mix

The defence department memo offers some intriguing interesting insights in regards to how open source will be a part of the mix

Software that best meets user needs is to be adopted irrespective of open source or not: While these considerations may be relevant, they may not be the overriding aspects to any decision about software. Ultimately, the software that best meets the needs and mission of the Department should be used, regardless of whether the software is open source.

Code not always shared and awareness of OSS licenses is important: There is a misconception that the Government is always obligated to distribute the source code of any modified OSS to the public, and therefore that OSS should not be integrated or modified for use in classified or other sensitive DoD systems. In contrast, many open source licenses permit the user to modify OSS for internal use without being obligated to distribute source code to the public. However, if the user chooses to distribute the modified OSS outside the user’s organization (e.g., a Government user distributes the code outside the Government), then some OSS licenses (such as the GNU General Public License) do require distribution of the corresponding source code to the recipient of the software. For this reason, it is important to understand both the specifics of the open source license in question and how the Department intends to use and redistribute any DoD-modified OSS.

So, last week can be seen as a maturing of open source software philosophy but also that it will be a pragmatic mix within the whole ecosystem rather than being an end in itself.

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arebentisch says:

Source code “disclosure” is essential for the defense sector but “open source” goes beyond. As you know the open source concept developed in unixoid software environments were source code access is indeed essential for software maintenance, interoperability and adaptability.I am sure e.g. for military uses your government will have to request full access to inspect Windows 7 source code. Source code disclosure is also essential for security sensitive products as TOR.During the World Summit in Tunesia my government failed to protect civil society and journalists who were followed by minders. TOR and encryption technology was of great importance for these Western journalists to communicate. Provision of such technologies should be a public service. The Open Source model avoids the problems of administrative failure in the public sector and its effects in an exclusive asset ownership scenario.

Open source now an accepted part of the software mix ..

recent DISCUSSION

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Ajit Jaokar

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