Open Source: The Phenomenon
"Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's sources. Some consider it as a philosophy, and others consider it as a pragmatic methodology." -WikipediaPeople originally laughed when the buzzword "Web 2.0" was created, as the over-hype and following behind it was amazing. But to me, "Open Source" is another one of the largest buzzwords out there. This idea is not a new one, but has grown so quickly in recent times that it is hard to miss.
Linux is a major reason why open source grew. The completely open source operating system spawned massive numbers of projects with the same open source philosophy, allowing for a large collection of source code which could be improved upon by anyone. It wasn't until recently though that open source software became more common place for the end user. Firefox is quite possibly the most widely used, open source piece of software out there, with a substantial 25% of the users browsing the web using it.
Firefox is a very well led project, with constant updates along with the latest features available. This program single handedly proved the worthiness of the open source community to users who had never explored its confines before. Where Microsoft Internet Explorer lacks, Firefox aims to make up for in such areas as virus and spyware protection, usability, and compatibility with web standards.
While the open source community has proved it's worth, people then wonder why operating systems such as Microsoft Windows aren't open source. Quite frankly, commercial software doesn't work (well) being open source under any condition. If source code is available, other users or companies can use any part of it, and resell it without the original company having any proof that they did any such thing so long as they don't make the source open to the public. Even if multiple software companies collaborated with code, you would have an amazing end product, but with the sacrifice of sales on at least one side.
In addition to restricting the ability to make open source software commercial, it also makes any production level software more vulnerable to exploitation if the code isn't updated on a regular basis. Reverse engineers can find a problem with the existing code, and can exploit it on any level, depending on the size of the problem. These types of problems can usually be combatted in active open source development projects nevertheless.
The open source software concept has also sparked open source initiatives in completely different areas, such as "OpenCola," a soda that has it's recipe posted for all to view, and the taste is meant to rival that of the heavily guarded recipes of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Content is another major open source area, with entire encyclopedias, namely Wikipedia, being licensed under the GFDL and Creative Commons licenses.
While open source has come a long way, it still has an even longer way to go if it is to replace the giants in the fields that it is a competitor in.
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