| What is Open Source Technology? |
Open source technology is software that is freely distributable, given away or sold. The source code must either be included or freely obtainable. Open source technology also guarantees that redistribution of modifications must be allowed.
Open source technology offers a compelling alternative to proprietary commercial software. Open source technology enables organizations to reduce licensing and support costs while leveraging open standards in a heterogeneous environment.
Open source technologies are commonly maintained, enhanced and supported as public projects. Some popular and mature open source technologies include:
| Technology |
Description |
|
Linux |
Operating System |
| Apache HTTP Server |
Web Server Platform |
| Mozilla Firefox |
Web Browser |
| MySQL |
SQL-Based Database Engine |
| JBoss Application Server |
Application Server Platform |
| OpenOffice |
Office Productivity Suite |
|
| |
| Open Source and Commercial Software Compared |
Both open source and commercial software have pros and cons when deciding which best fits your environment. Each environment and specific application normally has unique requirements that may be better suited for open source or commercial software:
| |
Open Source |
Commercial |
| Development Model |
Publicly maintained and freely available for derived works |
Single vendor-controlled and maintained. |
| Server Licensing |
Free (or nominal cost for compiled media) |
Per server pricing |
| User Licensing |
Free |
Per user pricing |
| Application Licensing |
Free |
Per application pricing |
| Professional Support Options |
Varies (public to vendor-based) |
Comprehensive (vendor-based) |
| Professional Support Pricing |
Per server/application |
Per server/application |
| Training Options |
Varies (public to vendor-based) |
Comprehensive |
|
| |
| Open Source/Proprietary Hybrid Distributions |
A number of retail software vendors are blending the best of both worlds by integrating open source technology into their proprietary offerings. By doing so, these vendors are able to offer greater functionality, interoperability with open standards, compatibility with a wider range of platforms, reduced internal development costs and in turn reduced licensing costs for the customers. Additionally, customers benefit from having open source capabilities that are bundled with a high level of support from the vendor.
A few well-known hybrid distributions include: |
| Novell Open Enterprise Server |
| Integrates traditional NetWare services with SuSE Linux and additional open source applications. |
|
| Apple Mac OS X |
| The Apple Mac's current operating system is combines FreeBSD 5 (an open source Unix variant) with traditional Mac services. |
|
| IBM WebSphere Application Server |
| The J2EE-based application server platform integrates IBM commercial technology with Apache Web Server, Eclipse development framework and other open source technologies. |
|
| Sun Solaris |
| Sun's Unix-based operating system combines a proprietary Unix kernel with many open source components. |
| |
| Did You Know? |
| - |
As of 2005, Apache HTTP server powers 74% of all Internet websites. |
| - |
The open source Mono Project allows Microsoft .NET applications to run on non-Windows platforms including Linux and NetWare. |
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Open source BIND DNS is used on the vast majority of name servers on the Internet, providing a robust and stable architecture on top of which an organization's naming architecture can be built. |
| - |
A number of consumer products including TiVo and mobile phones, run Linux as their operating system. |
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