Free & Open Source Software For Nonprofits: NTEN Webinar

Free and Open Source Software For Nonprofits: Tools and Tips Gregory Heller Twitter: @gregoryheller [email_address]

What is “Free Software” “ Free software” is a matter of liberty , not price. Think of “free” as in “free speech,” not “free” as in “free beer” .

What is “Free Software” “ Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”. Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it means that the program's users have the four essential freedoms:
The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
Excerpted from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

What Is “Open Source” Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in. Source: http://www.opensource.org/

Why does it matter?
Access to the source code
Ability to modify the source code
No licensing fees
No vendor lock-in

Software Licensing No Licensing FEE does not mean No License
GPL v2 & GPL v3
Affero AGP
BSD
Apache License
Creative Commons
This probably doesn't matter much to you unless you are a developer.

What doesn't it mean? NO COSTS Flickr:bstabler – Brad Stabler

Not All Wine and Roses Flickr:ragingferret

Rent Vs. Own Like renting a house, instead of owning, there are trade-offs. You don't have to pay to replace the roof, but then again, you might not be able to paint the walls or remodel the kitchen.

So What Does It Cost?
You don't pay for licensing
But you may pay for:
Hosting
Support
Training

Community vs Company Free & Open Source software is maintained by communities of developers. Sometimes they are paid by a company to do so, in collaboration with others who are not. Sometimes many companies pay different people to maintain different aspects of the software.

Where Do You Use FOSS
Desktop
LAN/Server/Intranet
Web Servers
Web Applications
Embedded software on Devices

Desktop: You're Already Using It

Desktop Software You Could Be Using GIMP KompoZer

Ditch Windows or OSX
Linux on the desktop with:

Why Linux for your OS?
Free
Secure
Better performance on older hardware

LAN/Server/Intranet
File Servers
Routers
Telephony & Telepresence

Mobile Devices
Phones, Tablets, eReaders

Web Server Operating System

Web Applications

Community vs Company Thousands of developers Hundreds of companies Millions of Websites = Resilience

Web Services

Resources
The Open Source Initiative
http://opensource.org
The Free Software Foundation
http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://SourceForge.net
http://civicactions.com/blog
[email_address]

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Free & Open Source Software For Nonprofits: NTEN Webinar

by Gregory Heller

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Free & Open Source Software For Nonprofits: NTEN Webinar Presentation Transcript