assignment

1. TYPE OF DOCUMENT
TECHNICAL RESEARCH REPORT
TITLE OF DOCUMENT
BY
NAME OF THE AUTHOR
STUDENT X
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject
SUBJECT NAME AND CODE
PROJECT IV IPR410B
FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
PROJECT LEADER
MCE JORDAN
DATE
13 APRIL 2010

2. Table of Contents
Section A
Abstract …………………………………………………………………..3
Introduction……………………………………………………………….3
Section B
Discussion of Aspects
Define OSS……………………………………………………………….4
Advantages and Disadvantages of OSS…………………………………..5
OSS Support………………………………………………………………5
OSS Licensing Structure………………………………………………….6
Define Computer and Information Security………………………………6
Conclusion………………………………………………………………...7
Reference………………………………………………………………….7
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3. ABSTRACT
Open Source Software is software distributed under terms that comply with the Open
Source Definition. The OSD is a document maintained by the Open Source Initiative.
The definition offered by Open Source Initiative (OSI) focuses on software license. In
contrast to proprietary software licenses, OSS licenses according to OSI must provide
users a number of rights, including:-Anyone is free to distribute and user the software, the
software source code is freely available and the right to make improvements to the
program
1. INTRODUCTION
According to Feller and Fitzgerald(2002), the term open source was coined in 1998
having previously being known as free software. It is sometimes still termed Free/Open
Source Sofware(F/OSS). Although it is often available free, or for relatively small fee, it
is not this that makes it open source. It is more licensing model which ‘guarantees the
right to copy, modify and distribute the source code of the program without
discrimination’. (Feller and Fitzgerald, 2000) Proprietary software does not have this
kind of license and is usually available in a form that can be accused and modify by
others. Open Source is made available as a source code that can be read, modify and used
in other contexts.
According to Greiner and Goodhue(2005), open source communities have ‘become
increasingly successful, with some new threatening the market dominance of major
proprietary software vendors. Apache and Linux , for example are two of the most
popular and well known Open Source Software communities. Another interesting aspect
is that software is developed by different individuals and groups in parallel, often
geographically dispersed.
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4. 2. DEFINE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE1
Open Source definition is manifesto of the open source initiative and open source
communities worldwide. It establishes several clauses that are to be complied with
developers and distribution of these applications in orders to guarantee the continuous
improvements of the application, its compatibility and interoperability with applications
based on open standards, and free circulation. The open source definition identifies the
fundamental criteria with which software license must comply for the underlying
software to be defined as open source:
• Free Redistribution:-The license shall not restrict ant party from selling or
giving away the software component
• Source Code:-The program must include a source code, and must allow
distribution in source code as well as compiled form
• Derived Work:-The license must allow modifications and derived works,
and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license
of the original software
• Integrity of the author’s source code:-The license may restrict source-code
from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the
distribution of “patch file” with the source code for the purposes of
modifying the program
• No discrimination against persons or groups:-The license must not
discriminate against any person or groups of persons
• No discrimination against fields of endeavor:-the license must not restrict
anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor.
• Distribution license:-The right attached to the program must apply to all
whom the program is redistributed without need for execution of an
additional license by those parties
• License must not b specific to a product:-The rights attached to the
program must not depend on the program’s being part of particular of bugs
and problems with code.
2. ADVANTAGES AND DISADAVANTAGES OF OSS
1
Online citizenship:-Emerging technologies for European Cities, By Eleonora Di Maria and Stefano
Micelli. Pg 157
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5. Freely revealing source code either implies modifications existing OSS or the release of
formerly proprietary software under an OSS license. Henkel(2004b) summarizes the
advantages and disadvantages of revealing for different actors as follows(Table 1)
Table 1
Benefits Risks/downsides
All contributors Improvement and furthers developments Loss of intellectual property
by others Cost of preparing code for
Standard setting release as OSS
Reduced maintenance cost Cost of maintaining OS
Programming discipline project(for maintainer)
Attraction for programmers Infringement on patents can
Increased reputation be detected more easily
Technical skills(for high quality code) Bad reputation(for code of
low quality)
Users Integration of user developments into Loss of competitive
official version advantage insights for
competitors
Visibility of security flaws
Sellers of complements Increased sales of complementary goods Loss of competitive
Pricing pressure on competitors advantage insights for
competitors
Visibility of security flaws
Software Vendors Support for older software can be Licensing fee excluded
terminated more easily
3. OSS SUPPORT
The term technical support actually encompasses two different types of services
which differ significantly in both what they deliver and how critical they are. This is
the key point of (Berman, Fox and Hey, 2003). The first type answers product usage
question: “how do I do this product?” The second type solves product failures: “The
product isn’t working. How can I get it back up and running properly-fast? An
organization that is accessing an open source product should consider both types of
support in determining the technical support maturity level.
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6. There are three technical support options available to open source user: community,
paid and self-support. Determining which the best choice is, it’s important for an
organization as it selects an open source product.
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4. OSS LICENSING STRUCTURE
The purpose of open source and free software licensing is to permit and encourage the
involvement by licenses in improvement, modification and distribution of the licensed
work. All open source licenses, by definition, freely allow the licensee to exercise all of
the rights of copyright with respect to the licensed software. The difference between
hereditary software licenses place significant conditions on the exercise of certain rights-
generally the distribution right. Some OSS licenses contain explicit license grants, and
some contain implicit ones.”
• Direct Licensing
Open source licenses are direct models. In other words, a licensee accepts software under
the terms of the GPL and distributes it to another does not sublicense the rights in the
software.
• GPL
The GPL is the most widely used open source license. The license is stewarded by the
Free Software Foundation, which is responsible for issuing versions.
5. DEFINE COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SECURITY
According to Chris DiBona(1999), Computer Security is a branch of technology known
as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of
computer security includes protection of information and property from theft corruption
and natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible
and productive to its intended users. Information security means protecting information
from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption and modification
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The Open Source Alternative: Understanding Risks and Leveraging Opportunities, By Heather J Meeker
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7. 6. CONCLUSION
This documentation provided the overview of Open Source Software. OSS is defined as
software which can be obtained in source code as well as binary form; can be freely
redistributed, for free or for profit, modified or unmodified; can be free used without
discrimination against persons or group, or fields of endeavor; which protects integrity of
the original authors’ code and ensure same rights. These criteria are formally articulated
in the Open Source Definition, which is maintained as a certification standard by the
Open Source Initiative. There are number of OSI certificate licenses. There is enormous
amount of Open Source Software in circulation. However product that have attracted
significant attention are Linux, Apache, etc
REFERENCES
[1] David Avison and Guy Fitzgerald, Methodologies, Techniques and Tools:
Information Systems Development (4th Edition)
[2] Eleonora Di Matia and Stefano Micelli, Online Citizenship: Emerging
Technologies for European Cities
[3] Oliver Alex, Free Revealing: How Firms Can Profit From Being Open (2nd
Edition)
[4] Jay D. White, Managing Information in the Public Sector
[5] Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman, Mark Stone, Open Sources: Voices From Open
Source Revolution, Published by O’Reilly and Associates (First Edition) Jan 1999
[6] Heather J Meeker, The Open Source Alternative: Understanding Risks and
Leveraging Opportunities, Published by john Wiley and Sons 2008
[7] Bernard Golden, Succeeding with Open Source
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