Open Source Software

Open Source Software (OSS) is a kind of software which has a few interesting characteristics (taken from the OpenSource.org website):

1. It is freely distributable.
2. It includes the source code of the software.
3. It allows 'derived works'.

There are thousands of open source programs on the Internet; for a sampling, go to Freshmeat.net, which lists thousands of them.

Examples of OSS

• Linux: This is a massive piece of work, improved and maintained by thousands of enthusiasts across the globe. It is a full-featured operating system and has all of the features of other modern systems.
• KDE: The K Desktop Environment (KDE) provides a nice Microsoft Windows-esque look to Linux and other UNIX operating systems. It includes an office suite, such as a word processor and spreadsheet, a web browser, and a host of other programs. It is every bit as good as Windows, if not better. Look at these screenshots to see what it looks like.
• Apache: Over 50% of the world's web servers run this piece of software. It is a robust, full-featured web server which runs on most platforms.
• BIND: This program provides a critical service on the Internet: domain name service (DNS). DNS is the way that a web browser translates a web address, such as www.ksl.com, into a numeric format that computers can understand. If this stopped working, most things on the Internet would stop working as well. BIND is the most popular way of providing DNS; you would be hard-pressed to find many name servers that don't run it.

Articles on Open Source Software

• The Cathedral and the Bazaar - This classic work by Eric Raymond provides a glimpse into how an open source project is conducted. I consider this book to be one of the modern classics of software engineering. Raymond's other writings are equally informative.
• Code, Culture, and Cash: The Fading Altruism of Open Source Development - Though I don't completely agree with the author's conclusions, this article does provide an interesting economic and political perspective on OSS.
• The Halloween Documents - These are the infamous Microsoft internal memos on OSS and the threat it poses to Microsoft.