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Open Source Software:
The Case Against
Brian Kelly
UKOLN
University of Bath
Bath, BA2 7AY
Email
B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk
URL
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
UKOLN is supported by:

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What Is Open Source?
Open source can mean:
• Free – as in “free beer”
 For the educational section with limited
funded, this must be good
• Free – as in “free speech”
 Freedom to view source, modify source,
redistribute source and redistribute
modifications
“Free software is a matter of liberty not price.
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to
run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve
the software.”
“Free software is a matter of liberty not price.
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to
run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve
the software.” http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

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60s Thinking?
• Make love not war
• Was Paul a hippy?
• What have we learnt? It’s a bunch of tree-
hugging hippy crap

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Big Business?
It’s not hippy-thinking - big business now likes open source!
Sun
IBM
Netscape
Apple
Does it really – or is this just power plays
between multinational companies?
Holds more patents than any other
company (and is aggressive in
protecting and exploiting its IPR)
Has continually refused to
make Java open, using the
Microsoft argument that it’s
safer if Sun looks after it
AOL-Time Warner-Netscape invented the
proprietary Web and, in light of the recent
biggest-ever quarterly lost, would you rely
on them?
Closed hardware, OS,
networking.
All they have going is an
excellent OS and GUI and
an easy-to-use system

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The Public Sector
The Public Sector (Universities, Government, EU, …):
• Has a responsibility to make deliverables freely available to
taxpayers
• Is in a position to build on open source products (Apache,
etc.) and ensure independence from commercial software
vendors
• We should be doing this!
But:
• This is a simplistic view
• Public sector has a responsibility to provide value for money – and
this could include financial exploitation of its IPR (exist strategies,
paying for staff on short-term contracts, etc.)
• It was a mistake for the Government to run a Dome – why expect
public bodies to become software developers
• Links between commercial and public sector is now mainstream -
and to ignore the prevailing cultural ethos is “hippy crap”!
Isn’t open source software developed in HE often
intended to provide proof-of-concept or pilots, and
once the concept has been accepted commercial
products will be deployed to provide a service
Isn’t open source software developed in HE often
intended to provide proof-of-concept or pilots, and
once the concept has been accepted commercial
products will be deployed to provide a service

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Has It Taken Off?
Much Talk, Little
Action!
<www.opensource.
ac.uk> was set up
in 1998, but the
home page hasn’t
been updated since
June 1999!
Viewing using the free (as in beer), ad-funded,
closed source, standards-compliant Opera browser
Viewing using the free (as in beer), ad-funded,
closed source, standards-compliant Opera browser

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Open Source Delivers Quality?
Open source will deliver quality software, as millions of
developers can contribute to the code base and review
the software! Apache proves this.
But:
• This is a simplistic view
• Netscape / Mozilla is a good example of difficulties:
 Netscape 6.0 released, based on open source
Mozilla
 “considered slow and buggy, and adoption has
not been high”
 Mozilla project started in 1998 – what’s it
delivered, who uses it?
• Just because source code is available doesn’t
mean large nos. of developers will enhance it

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More Than Software
There is more to the provision of quality IT services
than just the software:
• User requirements
• Documentation
• Ongoing support and maintenance
Some comments:
• End users tend not to be interested in open source
• Software developers often don’t prioritise readable,
user-oriented documentation
• Software developers don’t like maintenance:
 Who is interested in maintaining software developed
under TLTP, eLib, …? They’re not sexy anymore (no
XML, no XSLT, no Java,…)
• The software may be free – but the institutional
costs can be high

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What Do Users Want?
Paraphrase of a recent conversation on train
with IT Services director
“We wanted to get rid of MS Office, due to the
increased licence fees.
A Student Union rep pointed out that the cost came to
£9 per student, and this was very cheap as it
provided students will experience of widely-used
software, and this expertise would be a valuable skill
to be mentioned in CVs.
The Student Unions would complain strongly on
behalf of the student body if MS Office were
removed”

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A One-Dimensional Approach
What should you choose:
• An open source product which:
• Requires special libraries to be installed
• Requires manual editing of config files in a DOS window
• The documentation was written by a programmer for
other programmers
• A free product for which:
• No source is available
• It’s used by millions
• Widespread documentation is available
Web site on your Palm:
• BK: AvantGo link available
• AS: Don’t use AvantGo – the source isn’t available,
use Plucker
Web site on your Palm:
• BK: AvantGo link available
• AS: Don’t use AvantGo – the source isn’t available,
use Plucker

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Free As In Beer
Software which we don’t have to pay for can be good
value, and is often what we want:
ht://Dig
• Open source software for searching Web sites
• Most popular search tool in UK Universities
• But no evidence of mods made within community
Google
• Popular global search engine & of increasing use
to search University Web sites (e.g. Leeds, …)
• Free (as in beer)
• Closed and no control (algorithms secret and
liable to change without warning, hosted remotely,
no user groups, no financial relationships)
• But popular!

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Managerialism
Familiar grips?
• “Why doesn’t senior management understand …”
• “Why can’t I get the resources I need for my Web
team?”
Is it because of:
• The single-minded approach of the open source
lobby
• The criticism from software developers of
“managerialism”
• The perception that open source software is
intended to provide “jobs for the boys”
Remember comments of Andrew Aird and Tracey
Stanley: “the Web isn’t about technology”
Remember comments of Andrew Aird and Tracey
Stanley: “the Web isn’t about technology”

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Why You Should Reject The
Motion
“The house believes that the future of Web in UK
Higher and Further Education communities lies in the
adoption of open source software”
Reject this motion because:
• This one-dimensional motion ignores many
equally, if not more, important issues
• Usability  Skills  User requirements  Support
• Ignores organisations’ culture, background,
mission, expertise, …
• Forces organisations into a particular approach,
and denies them choice
Note that a mixed open / closed source environment is fine (and
Apache is excellent) – but that isn’t what this motion calls for
Note that a mixed open / closed source environment is fine (and
Apache is excellent) – but that isn’t what this motion calls for

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What We Should Be Doing
Open source does have a place, but:
• There is a need to acknowledge there is not just a
single approach
• We should be more tolerant in our
communications
• We should acknowledge people’s rights to
disagree
• We should be focussed and thoughtful in
communications
Comments on positive features of licensed software or
reservations about open source software seem to
generate reactions similar to George W Bush’s
reactions to those who criticise US foreign policy!
Comments on positive features of licensed software or
reservations about open source software seem to
generate reactions similar to George W Bush’s
reactions to those who criticise US foreign policy!