General Overview of Open Source Software and Technology This document provides an overview of open source software and technology. It defines open source as software where the source code is available and users are free to use, modify, and distribute the software. The document discusses the history and concepts of open source, provides examples of widely used open source programs, and summarizes global trends and Egypt's national strategy regarding open source adoption.

1. General Overview of Open Source
Software and Technology
Dr. Mohamed Gabr
Open Source GIS Consultant
OSGEO- Africa Member
General.Manager@Tawgeeh.com
gbrbreen2@gmail.com

2. Topics
1. What is Free and Open Source (FOS)
software?
2. Global view of FOSusage
3. FOS software in Egypt
4. Why FOS software?

3. What is Open Source GIS
(OSGIS)?
1

4. Introduction
• Source code is the basis of a program
• To modify a program you need the source
code
• Source code can be written in many different
types of programming languages
• Do you get the source code of the software
you use?

5. History
• Richard Stallman and FSF (1985)
– The 4 freedoms
• Michael Tiemann and OSI (1998)
– The 10 criteria
• Both are sharing the
following principles:
– Free to use it either personal
or commercial
– Free to study and modify the
source code
– Free to redistribute copies or
modified versions

6. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
• Simply:
– You have the program for free
– You have the source code
– You are free to modify
– You are free to distribute it

7. Important concepts
• Open standards
– According to The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), “Open
Standards” are standards made available to the
general public and are developed (or approved)
and maintained via a collaborative and consensus
driven process. “Open Standards” facilitate
interoperability and data exchange among
different products or services and are intended
for widespread adoption.

8. Important concepts cont.
• a proprietary format
– A file format is considered as proprietary when it is
developed by a software company to encode data in
a file format that only their own software can read
correctly and completely.
– In case such software becomes obsolete, access to
the data is rendered more difficult if not impossible.
….. Remember 3.2 then 8

9. Important concepts cont.
• Open format
– A file format is considered as open when:
– its specification is publicly available and can be
copied, reused or redistributed free of charge and
without copyright or patent restrictions.
– The goal of an open format is to allow users to read
and write a file without being obliged to use specific
proprietary software.
• Owing to their features, using open formats promotes
diversity and interoperability but also guarantees
access to, and the permanence of, data, a
consideration for the archiving of public records.

10. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
• Total cost of ownership (TCO):
– Costs of owning SW
• Free
– Costs of updates
• Free
– Costs of maintenance
• Free
– Costs of technical support
• Sometimes free through technical groups on the internet
• Sometimes paid through consultants
– Costs of building capacity
• Sometimes free as the manuals/ user guides are available on the internet
• Sometimes paid through consultants
– Costs of building solutions/ SW customization
• Paid

11. examples of open source software
• Operating Systems
– Linux
– Darwin, which is the foundation of Apple's Mac OS
X.
– Open office

12. examples of open source software
• Internet
– Apache, which runs over 50% of the world's web
servers.
– BIND, the software that provides the DNS
(domain name service) for the entire Internet.
– sendmail, the most important and widely used
email transport software on the Internet.
– Mozilla, the open source redesign of the
Netscape Browser
– OpenSSL is the standard for secure
communication (strong encryption) over the
Internet.categories.

13. example of open source software
• Programming Tools
– Zope, and PHP, are popular engines behind the "live content" on the
World Wide Web.
– Languages:
• Perl
• Python
• Ruby
• Tcl/Tk
– GNU compilers and tools
• GCC
• Make
• Autoconf
• Automake
• etc.

14. open source software sites
• Free Software Foundation www.fsf.org
• Open Source Initiative www.opensource.org
• Freshmeat.net
• SourceForge.net
• OSDir.com
• developer.BerliOS.de
• Bioinformatics.org
• see also individual project sites; e.g.,
www.apache.org; www.cpan.org; etc.

15. Global overview of FOS usage2

16. The United Nations (UN)
• In 2003, the global focusing on OSS
has started in the World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) by
promoting awareness
• In 2004, ICT (information and
communication technologies)
strategy recognizing the need to
“increase the usage of appropriate
open source software”.
• In 2005, issuing a report about the
policies of UN system organizations
towards the use of OSS

17. The European Union
• The European Commission
has updated its strategy
(2014-2017) for increasing
the use of Open Source
Software.

18. FOS software in Egypt3

19. FOS software in Egypt
• In 2014, Egypt has prepared its National Free and
Open Source Software (FOSS) Strategy
• The mission is " To promote the development and
adoption of high-quality open-source software-
based solutions and services as one fundamental
pillar of the knowledge society so as to:
– raise productivity,
– improve competitiveness, and
– enhance the overall economic and social well-being of
citizens in Egypt".

20. Why FOS software?4

21. According to the Standish Group,
• Individuals or organizations
choose open source
software because of:
– lower cost,
– security,
– no vendor 'lock in', and
– better quality (performance,
interoperability)

22. Thank You