Open Source for Libraries

Open Source for Libraries Nicole C. Engard Vice President of Education ByWater Solutions nengard@bywatersolutions.comThursday, February 16, 12

What isn’t Open Source? Common Open Source FUD (Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt) • “Isn’t that insecure?” • “I don’t want to share my data!” • “How can it be any good if it’s free?” • “We don’t have the staﬀ to handle open source.” Comic: Author: Unknown | Year: Unknown | Source: UnknownThursday, February 16, 12

What is Open Source? Open source soCware is soCware that users have the ability to run, distribute, study and modify for any purpose. Open source is a collaboraEve soCware-‐development method that harnesses the power of peer review and transparency of process to develop code that is freely accessible.1 Open source draws on an ecosystem of thousands of developers and customers all over the world to drive innovaEon.2 1,2 h<p://connect.educause.edu/display/47941Thursday, February 16, 12

What is Free Software? • OCen you will hear Free & Open Source SoCware (F/OSS) in conjuncEon. • The Free SoCware DefiniEon (hQp://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ free-‐sw.html) is similar to, but not idenEcal to the Open Source DefiniEon (hQp://www.opensource.org/docs/definiEon.php) • Free does not mean free of cost -‐ it means Free as in FreedomThursday, February 16, 12

4 Freedoms of Free Software • You need all four of these freedoms to have free soCware • Freedom of use • Freedom to copy • Freedom to modify • Freedom to contribute hQp://www.web2learning.net/archives/4263Thursday, February 16, 12

Sharing of ideas "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will sEll each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." AQributed to Bernard Shaw http://ftacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1Thursday, February 16, 12

The Cathedral & The Bazaar The Cathedral The Bazaar (proprietary so4ware) (open source so4ware) • Development occurs • Code developed over behind walls the Internet with • Source code is several others in usually not provided public view -‐ kept locked up • Source code open to • Corporate hierarchy all users • “Given enough h<p://www.catb.org/~esr/wriIngs /cathedral-‐bazaar/cathedral-‐bazaar/ eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source Governance What kind of quality control is there? • Most open source projects have a release manager or a manager of some sort who reviews the code and approves it before adding it to the ﬁnal release What is the role of the community? • The community looks out for the best interests of the soSware. They work as the governing body behind all decisions related to the soSware. The community decides what features to develop next and who the managers are. Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source Community • Open source is about more than free soCware • Community is crucial to the growth of open source • Without shared knowledge and collaboraEon the project will not grow • “CriEquing the community is a right reserved for those who have proved themselves by making valuable contribuEons”1 • People who use open source can collaborate and contribute in many ways with the community • Write code • Write documentaEon • Debug • Educate others 1. Tapscott, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. “Embracing open source culture and strategy.” In Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything, 82-83. Expanded Edition. New York, NY: Penguin USA, 2008. www.wikinomics.com/book/. Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source Crowdsourcing “Crowdsourcing has it genesis in the open source movement in soCware. The development of the Linux operaEng system proved that a community of like-‐minded peers was capable of creaEng a beQer product than a corporate behemoth like MicrosoC. Open source revealed a fundamental truth about humans that had gone largely unnoEced unEl the connecEvely of the Internet brought it into high relief: labor can oCen be organized more efficiently in the context of a community than it can in the context of the corporaEon. The best person to do a job is the one who most wants to do that job; and the best people to evaluate their performance are their friends and peers who, by the way, will enthusiasEcally pitch in to improve the final product, simply for the sheer pleasure of helping one another and creaEng something beauEful from which they all will benefit.” Howe, J. (2008). Crowdsourcing: Why the power of the crowd is driving the future of business. New York: Crown Business. p.8Thursday, February 16, 12

Believing in Openness If you dont know why you do what you do then how will you ever get people to be loyal and want to be a part of what you do? The goal is not just to sell to people what you have, its to sell people on what you believe -‐ the goal is not to hire people who want a job its to hire people who believe what you believe. If you hire people just because they can do a job they will work for your money -‐ if you hire people who believe what you believe they work for you with blood and sweat and tears. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire acEon hQp://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_ how_great_leaders_inspire_acEon.html Thursday, February 16, 12

Who’s Using Open Source? •Government Agencies •Schools (K-‐colleges) •All Kinds of Businesses •LibrariansThursday, February 16, 12

Open Source in Business 2007 Survey Results http://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source in Business • In 2010 a survey of 300 large organizaEons in both the private and public sector found: • 50% are fully commiQed to open source in their business • 28% say they are experimenEng with open source and keeping an open mind to using it • 38% expecEng to migrate mission-‐criEcal soCware to open source in next 12 months • The cost was no longer viewed as the key benefit, instead: • 76% cited quality as a key benefit of open source • 70% cited improved reliability • 69% said beQer security/bug fixing h<p://newsroom.accenture.com/ arIcle_display.cfm?arIcle_id=5045Thursday, February 16, 12

Making money on open source • “IBM not only accepted open source soCware products and processes but also its philosophy, which is to spur quality and fast growth rather than just proﬁts based on proprietary ownership of intellectual property.” • “Giving up so much control is unconvenEonal to say the least, but the rewards for doing so have been handsome. IBM spends about $100 million per year on Linux development. If the Linux community puts in $1 billion of eﬀort, and even half of that is useful to IBM customers, the company gets $500 million of soCware development for an investment of $100 million.” Tapsco<, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. “Joining Linux.” In Wikinomics: How mass collaboraIon changes everything, 79-‐82. Expanded EdiIon. New York, NY: Penguin USA, 2008. h<p://www.wikinomics.com/book/.Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source On the Web Total AcEve Sites: 6/2000 to 1/2012 h<p://news.netcraS.com/archives/2012/01/03/january-‐2012-‐web-‐server-‐survey.html Thursday, February 16, 12

Why so Popular? •Reliability through Peer Review •Freedom to Innovate •No Vendor Lock-‐in •User-‐centric Development •CollaboraEve Environment •Zero License FeesThursday, February 16, 12

Why Should Libraries Care?Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries Libraries and Open Source Both... • Believe that informaIon should be freely accessible to everyone • Give away stuﬀ • Beneﬁt from the generosity of others • Are about communiIes • Make the world a be<er place -‐-‐ Horton, G. h<p://Inyurl.com/3jvumnThursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries Libraries and Open Source make the perfect pair[Librarians] "are almost ethically required to use and develop open source soCware." Crawford, R. S. h<p://www.lugod.org/ presentaIons/oss4lib.pdf hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/cavort/ 151687944/Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries Libraries and Open Source make the perfect pair “Libraries are commiQed to the noEon of the ‘commons.’ Libraries are in fact one of the last best hopes for the preservaEon of the intellectual commons. That value system should extend to the intellectual work we do on our access systems. We should reclaim the domain of library technology from the commercial and proprietary realms and actualize is as part of our vision of the commons. ... We are also congenital collaborators. Can you think of any other group of insEtuEons that share their stuﬀ the way we do through ILL? -‐-‐ Lucia, J.Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries 2007 Survey Results h<p://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203 Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries Common quesEons libraries have: • Is there support? Do I have to know how to program? • Do I have to skimp on features? • Isn’t Open Source risky? • Can I do it myself?Thursday, February 16, 12

Support for Open Source Is there support? Do I have to know how to program? • ByWater SoluEons • If you want to contribute • Catalyst to the code -‐ Yes • Equinox • If not you can use: • YourLibrarySite • Support Providers • And more! • Local Students • Freelance DevelopersThursday, February 16, 12

Do I have to skimp on features? • Open Source developers follow the rule of “Release early and release oCen” • Users vote with their dollars and Eme • Freedom to develop on your own • Developers love their products hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/programwitch/ 2505184887/Thursday, February 16, 12

Isn’t Open Source Risky? • Casey Coleman, chief informaEon officer for the • US Department of Defense memo GSA (U.S. General Services AdministraEon), said encourages the use of open source with in a speech ... that the GSA heavily relies on many reasons “including cost advantages, open source to drive down costs, increase reduced risk of vendor lock-‐in, beQer flexibility of IT dollars, and reduce risk. ‘You get security, and increased flexibility. It says much more transparency and interoperability, that the posiEve aspects of open source and that reduces your risk,’ she said. soCware should be given consideraEon • h<p://news.cnet.com/ during procurement research. 8301-‐13505_3-‐9921115-‐16.html • h<p://arstechnica.com/open-‐source/news/ 2009/10/dod-‐military-‐needs-‐to-‐think-‐harder-‐ about-‐using-‐open-‐source.ars Thursday, February 16, 12

Isn’t Open Source Risky? For a total 284 days in 2006 (or more than nine months out of the year), exploit code for known, unpatched criEcal flaws in pre-‐IE7 versions of the browser was publicly available on the Internet. Likewise, there were at least 98 days last year in which no soCware fixes from MicrosoC were available to fix IE flaws that criminals were acEvely using to steal personal and financial data from users. In a total of ten cases last year, instrucEons detailing how to leverage "criEcal" vulnerabiliEes in IE were published online before MicrosoC had a patch to fix them. In contrast, Internet Explorers closest compeEtor in terms of market share -‐-‐ Mozillas Firefox browser -‐-‐ experienced a single period lasEng just nine days last year in which exploit code for a serious security hole was posted online before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem. h<p://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/01/ internet_explorer_unsafe_for_2.html Thursday, February 16, 12

Risk of Proprietary Software • “Closed-‐source efforts oCen suffer from flaws and problems which the original development team never anEcipated. Lack of inspecEon of the code by other programmers can mean that inappropriate design constraints and other errors might not be discovered unEl the code is already in use.” Pavlicek, Russell. Embracing insanity : open source soSware development. Indianapolis IN: SAMS, 2000. p. 33.Thursday, February 16, 12

Software is Risky! All soSware has risks, you need to evaluate open source the same way you do proprietary systems. Several Levels of Risk to consider: • SoSware security issues • Open source is just as secure if not more secure than proprietary systems because of its transparency • Evaluate open source soSware no diﬀerently than you do other soSware! • Company mergers and acquisiIons • Because you own the code to your system you are not Ied to one support source and will never be leS without support Thursday, February 16, 12

Can I do it Myself? • Absolutely, with the right in-‐house skills • Systems knowledge • Linux server management • Web programming • Perl / PHP / MySQLThursday, February 16, 12

Some NumbersThursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries When asked what Open Source apps they use at work, 977 librarians and library workers answered as follows hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐ resultsThursday, February 16, 12

Open Source & Libraries When asked why they chose and open source app, 977 librarians and library workers answered as follows hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐ resultsThursday, February 16, 12

Now What?Thursday, February 16, 12

Play Time • Start downloading and installing applicaEons that will make things more efficient (and possibly affordable) for you. hQp://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/ 3253133986/Thursday, February 16, 12

Portable Play •Can’t install soCware on your work computer? •Try PortableApps: •Install on your USB drive and use many of these open source applicaEons without installing to the hard drive hQp://portableapps.com Thursday, February 16, 12

Local Play •Don’t have access to a web server? •Try BitNami: •Free, easy to setup wikis, blogs, forums and many other web applicaEons that you can run locally or in the cloud. BitNami makes deploying server soCware a simple and enjoyable process. h<p://bitnami.org/Thursday, February 16, 12

Additional Links •Open Source Living http://osliving.com •OSS Watch, open source software advisory service: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk •Open Source as Alternative http://www.osalt.com •Nicole’s Delicious bookmarks: http://delicious.com/nengard/opensourceThursday, February 16, 12

OSS & Libraries Links • Open Source SoCware in Libraries hQp://infomoEons.com/musings/ossnlibraries/ • Open Source SoCware and Libraries Bibliography zotero.org/groups/ freelibre_and_open_source_soCware_and_libraries_bibliography • PracEcal Open Source SoCware for Libraries hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/blog • Open Network Libraries hQp://onl.org.nz • FOSS4Lib hQp://foss4lib.org Thursday, February 16, 12

Open Source Blogs • The Open Road • New York Times -‐ Open hQp://www.cnet.com/openroad/ hQp://open.nyEmes.com • Open Ended from Ars Technica • OpenSource.com hQp://arstechnica.com/open-‐source hQp://opensource.com • The H Open Source • Open Source at DatamaEon hQp://www.h-‐online.com/open/ itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/ • ZDNet Open Source hQp://blogs.zdnet.com/open-‐sourceThursday, February 16, 12

Online Reading List • Open Source: Narrowing the Divides between EducaEon, Business, and Community hQp://connect.educause.edu/display/47941 • The concepts of Free SoCware & Open Standards: IntroducEon to Free SoCware hQp://Cacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1 • We Love Open Source SoCware. No, You Can’t Have Our Code hQp://journal.code4lib.org/arEcles/527 • Open Source SoCware Tools And Directories: Where To Find Them, How To Evaluate Them hQp://www.masternewmedia.org/open-‐source-‐soCware-‐tools-‐and-‐directories-‐where-‐to-‐ﬁnd-‐them-‐ how-‐to-‐evaluate-‐them/ • Open Source Security Bibliography hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecEon/QKWPIXK9 • Nicole’s Zotero Library hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecEon/1796131Thursday, February 16, 12

Print Reading List • Prac6cal Open Source So8ware in Libraries by Nicole C. Engard • The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolu6onary by Eric S. Raymond • Embracing Insanity: Open Source So8ware Development by Russell Pavlicek • The success of open source by Steve Weber • The open source alterna6ve: Understanding risks and leveraging opportuni6es by Heather J. Meeker • Open Sources 2.0: The Con6nuing Evolu6on by Chris DiBona, Mark Stone, and Danese CooperThursday, February 16, 12

Thank You! Nicole C. Engard Vice President of Education ByWater Solutions nengard@bywatersolutions.comThursday, February 16, 12

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Open Source for Libraries

by Nicole C. Engard

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Open Source for Libraries Presentation Transcript