The document defines open source software and discusses how it is developed collaboratively by communities. It provides examples of common open source technologies and applications, including the open source integrated library systems (ILS) Koha, which uses LAMP, and Evergreen, which uses AJAX. The document addresses frequently asked questions about open source software and notes that while quality is not guaranteed, community involvement encourages quality through peer review.

1. Open Source A Community Approach to Software Development John Houser August 28, 2007

2. Topics Definition In Practice… Open Source Communities Open Source vs. Free Common Open Source Technologies Common Questions The Bottom Line Attitudes LibLime and PALINET

3. Definition Open source software is computer software whose source code is available under a license (or arrangement such as the public domain ) that permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. – Wikipedia

5. In Practice… Community Peer review Collaboration Users becoming designers Or even developers Ownership and copyright issues Free distribution

6. Community Website Usually .org FAQ Wiki A bug tracking system, often Bugzilla Lists Where the users are CVS, SVN, or other code tracking repository IRC channel Where the developers are Foundation

7. Characteristics of Open Source Communities Benign Dictatorship Meritocracy

8. Characteristics of Open Source Communities Reputation matters and is built by answering questions and contributing You don’t have to be a developer to contribute Contributions can take the form of code, documentation, wiki organization

9. Open Source vs. Free Open source licenses ensure that you have certain freedoms Use Change Improve Redistribute There are always costs associated with using any software, even if you don’t have to pay a license fee

10. Common Open Source Technologies LAMP – Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl or PHP Used by WordPress, Drupal, Koha AJAX – Asynchronous JavaScript and XML Used by Evergreen

11. Widely Used Open Source Applications IM/IRC Pidgin Website content management system (CMS) Drupal Wiki software MediaWiki Audio file editor Audacity Blogging software WordPress SQL server MySQL MS Office alternative OpenOffice.org Web server Apache Web browser Firefox OS Linux

12. Browser Statistics

13. In the Library World Koha (LAMP) Evergreen (AJAX) DSpace Fedora Greenstone OpenOffice.org WordPress Drupal MarcEdit

14. Burning Questions Will I save money? Where do I get help? Is this software high quality? Is it secure? Reliable?

15. Will I save money? Maybe, maybe not In a more typical scenario not paying a license fee frees up money which is then invested into the software End result: you get more for your money

16. Where do I get help? Documentation FAQ Project mailing list Participation in the community matters here! Commercial vendor

17. Is this software high quality? Merely being open source, does not guarantee quality But, if the project is being actively developed by a community of developers, peer review will encourage quality

18. Is it secure? Because the code is available for anyone to view, and because of the scrutiny of peer developers, security problems tend to be discovered quickly…and fixed quickly

19. Reliable? You should know the answer by now: Community! Look for the stable release

20. Advantages & Disadvantages Advantages Speedy innovation May be low cost depending on the feature fit and level of support needed Secure Sometimes more standards-based than commercial products Disadvantages New skills are often required Community involvement takes time User interfaces tend not to be very polished

21. Attitudes “ That stuff is for geeks and techies. My staff can’t handle it.” “ We don’t have time to learn about open source. It’s too complicated.” “ Our patrons want Microsoft applications. They’re used to them.” “ Nobody I know uses open source. I don’t want to be out in front of the crowd.”

22. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? What open source technology does Moodle use? What popular browser is open source? What is the most popular web server? What operating system does Google use? What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

23. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? What open source technology does Moodle use? What popular browser is open source? What is the most popular web server? What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

24. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? What open source technology does Moodle use? What popular browser is open source? What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

25. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? What open source technology does Moodle use? What popular browser is open source? Apache What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

26. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? What open source technology does Moodle use? Firefox What popular browser is open source? Apache What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

27. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? LAMP What open source technology does Moodle use? Firefox What popular browser is open source? Apache What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

28. Quiz What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? Evergreen What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? LAMP What open source technology does Moodle use? Firefox What popular browser is open source? Apache What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?

29. Quiz Koha What is the name of the open source ILS that uses LAMP? Evergreen What is the name of the open source ILS system that uses AJAX? LAMP What open source technology does Moodle use? Firefox What popular browser is open source? Apache What is the most popular web server? Linux What operating system does Google use? IBM What organization contributes the most code to Linux?