Open Source at the BBC: When, Why, Why not & How

Open Source
at the BBC
Michael Sparks
Senior Research Engineer
BBC Research

michael.sparks@bbc.co.uk
Linux World London 2006
Kamaelia Michael Sparks, michaels@rd.bbc.co.uk, http://kamaelia.sf.net/

Who am I?
Currently
Senior Research Engineer
BBC Research

Previously
Software engineer and network
engineer at a mixture of public
and private companies

This talk is based on experience
of both public and private
company usage of
open source

This talk
This talk will be summarised as a text
document and go online Friday, after
Linux World is over, and be linked from
the Kamaelia website

(hence link & contact details at the
bottom of every page!)


When
Themes for
this talk
Why

Why
not
How


Overview
Context

Use Originate

Improve


Context


The BBC...

Uses & creates
open source software


The BBC...

Uses & creates
Proprietary Systems


Why?
Good business and
public service reasons


Terminology
Free/Libre, Open
Source Software


Terminology
Open Source:
Focus on approach...
...not politics


When, Why, Why not
& How to...


Use
Collaboratively Improve
Originate


Use


The BBC...

Obvious Question:
Why use open
source?


The BBC...

No specific policy for
or against


The BBC...

Tools are evaluated
on their merits


Adaptability to the
business is a merit


Open source is
adaptable


Better Question:
Why avoid open
source software?


Would you ask:
Why avoid
proprietary software?


Would you ask:
Why avoid
proprietary software?
Ok, some at this conference yes,
but generally speaking it would
be taken as a given


To avoid open source
solutions ...


... would limit the BBC's
choices


.. cuts you off from
useful technologies


.. cuts you off from
community
developments


... would avoiding
Apple & even some
Microsoft products


... would avoiding
Apple & even some
Microsoft products
Since even these suppliers have some useful
software which either are or or based on open source.


Open source software
is difficult to avoid


Especially on the
Internet


When to evaluate
using an open source
solution?


When you are looking
for a new solution


When you are looking
for a new solution
... alongside any
other solutions


Why use an open
source solution?


Because it provides for
the business need in
the appropriate way


Why not use an open
source solution?


If it does not provide
for the business need
in the appropriately


How to use an open
source solution?


Same way as a
proprietary solution


Obtain & install


Hire appropriate staff


Hire a consultant


Hire a services
company


How does the BBC use
open source?


How does the BBC use
open source?

Some highlights

The BBC...

Network Infrastructure
Apache, Perl, Python,
MySQL, Linux

Proprietary systems are also used here

The BBC...

Desktop Applications
Firefox
Open Office
(in some areas)

Proprietary systems are much more widely used here

The BBC...

Desktops
Mac OS X
Linux
(in BBC Research)

Microsoft Windows is the dominant desktop OS at present

Benefits to the BBC


Adaptability
Stability
Security
Maintainability
Standards
Market Expertise

Improve


We're talking about
contributing back


Maintenance


You have a problem
not seen before


You fix it
or you report it


By contributing back
you reduce your
maintenance burden


... and encourage
others to do the same


What is contribution?


Code is the most
obvious contribution


Bug fixes are the most
welcome contribution


A bug report is
contributing back


Documentation
errors are bugs


Intelligent questions
can lead to improved
documentation


Talking about usage is
contributing back


Why does the BBC
contribute back?


Why does the BBC
contribute back?

Perhaps not as often as it would like

For all the previous
reasons, but also a
special one


Open source is very
similar to traditional
standardisation


Any interested and
capable party is
welcome to
participate


Long standing
tradition of working in
standards bodies


May contribute to any
existing project where
it benefits the BBC


Contributing back
as a business


When to contribute to
an open source
project?


When you have
solved a problem or
need to solve one


Why contribute back
to an open source
solution?


Because it helps the
product get better,
which in turn makes it
more valuable to you


Why not contribute
back to an open
source project?


When doing so may
reveal business or
personal confidential
information


How to contribute
back to an open
source project?


Contribute
repeatable, clear,
focussed bug reports
..without expectations


Contribute clear,
focussed bug fixes


bug fixes

Make them focussed
Follow project culture
Make them easy to apply
Make them relevant
Include docs

If you don't know how, ask
otheriwise you will look stupid

bug fixes

Make them focussed
Follow project culture
Make them easy to apply
Make them relevant
Include docs

If you do it right, your
company will be respected

Note: Open source is a
meritocracy – conceptual
contributions are more
important than money


Bluntly:

Start talking about money,
and you will often alienate
developers


Bluntly:

Start talking about money,
and you will often alienate
developers

even if the work done is often priceless...

Tip:

If you've never done this,
liase through an open
source consultancy


Project
Origination


We're talking about
new open source
projects from the BBC


Why?


Not your core business,
not a saleable product


Standards development,
encouragement


External collaboration


Peer review
Repeatability


A key one:
Will be developed
anyway


A key one:
Will be developed
anyway

eg: in house tools

Will be developed
anyway

no feedback == no loss
any feedback == benefit


Will be developed
anyway

less obvious: increase
market sector viability
for your business

Will be developed
anyway

less obvious: increase
market sector viability
for your business
eg, email, web, the internet as a whole


BBC Open Source


http://www.bbc.co.uk/opensource


Does not host BBC
open source projects


Only contains pointers
to the projects


Once you release the
code, you are no
longer in control of
that code


Community hosting
makes it clear the
code is community
owned


Code cannot be
taken away


What has the BBC
originated as open
source projects?


Kamaelia, Dirac, TVAnytime
API, Betsie, Media Dispatch,
MXF File Test Engine, Video
Shot Change Detector,
Media Lounge, Pony, 2
Apache Modules, 10 CPAN
Modules, BAP Tools, ID3v2
Chapter tools, Flash tools,
AFFEditPack, ....

Dirac
To develop a royalty free
video codec for online and
offline delivery


Dirac
Benefits of release include:
Community collaboration,
peer review, and critique by
peers for standardisation


Dirac
Downside of release includes:
People viewing release of
Dirac as entering direct
competition with suppliers

Release enables collaboration

Kamaelia
Original aim: to develop tools
for scalable long term online
delivery of all BBC content


Kamaelia
Community collaboration is
evolving the system into a
general purpose multimedia
toolkit


Kamaelia
Revised high level BBC aims:
To do for software systems what IKEA has
done for furniture, and spreadsheets
have done for traditional business
but for the BBC's business of
storytelling and distribution


Kamaelia
Benefits of release include:
Peer review; a much more
general purpose and hence
more generally useful system,
and dissemination from R&D
dept into the business


and so on.


Appropriate Licensing
Both preceding use the “Mozilla
TriLicense”, why?


MPL – explicit patent grant
GPL – most widely used license
LGPL – most appropriate for a
library

For prior 2 projects
interoperation on all 3 levels
has been impotant

For businesses...


When to originate an
open source project?


When you have
software developed
inhouse as an
overhead not as
product

Why originate an


When you have an
inhouse tool that you
think others will find
useful


When it will benefit
your market sector
making it more
attractive & viable


Communities of
companies can
generate wealth
for all concerned


To gain competitive
advantage –
consumers prefer
open platforms


Why not originate an


When you gain
real competitive
advantage by not
doing so


When that software is
all you sell


If you're not prepared
to accept community
contributions


If you're not willing to
risk letting go of
control of the
codebase


If your code contains
secrets of any kind


How to originate an
open source project


Create a project on
an independent
hosting site


Sourceforge
Google Code
Berlios
etc


Choose a license and
understand its
implications


Create a contributor
agreement


Create mailing lists


General
Announcements
Version control
commits


Create a project blog
use it when anything
notable happens


Release something
usable


Focus on the code in any
release announcement,
not on you


Don't expect instantaneous
success


Read how others have done it
“Cathedral & Bazaar”
“Producing Open Source
Software”
“Hackers & Painters”


Finally


This talk was titled “open
source at the BBC”

Proprietary software is as
widely if not more widely
used inside the BBC


If you want to use
proprietary software the
business world is geared up
to help you.


If you want to improve
proprietary software the
traditional way is to start a
new business


If you want to create
proprietary software you
do the same thing


In either case, evaluate
each based on their merits


Private businesses have
the option of ideology
as a merit

Public services do not


More information:


BBC OSS FAQs:
http://tinyurl.com/yjyx83


Joel on Software – Strategy Letter V
http://tinyurl.com/4haso


Cathedral & Bazaar
http://tinyurl.com/3ald3


This talk will be summarised on my blog:
http://yeoldeclue.com/blog

Open Source at the BBC: When, Why, Why not & How

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Plus de kamaelian

Plus de kamaelian (12)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Open Source at the BBC: When, Why, Why not & How