Linux Alliance

Archive for the ‘Open Source’ Category

A lot of questions and concerns that arise regarding Linux and open source software center around its ability to run the things that users are familiar with. This is very true for gaming as over 200 million people worldwide play games online. Gamers have nothing to fear though as programs abound for open source gaming. For example, the WINE project and Cedega support Windows games on Linux.

But consider the Linux Gamers project that operates as a live distribution. It is comprised of 34 diverse free, open source games which run natively in Linux and put the player anywhere from behind the wheel of a race car to a billiards table. And it comes in four versions: Big ISO, Lite ISO, Big USB and Lite USB. The Big ISO burns to a live DVD that can just be inserted into your drive and get you playing. The distribution works very well with premier video cards and will set up open source drivers featuring 3D acceleration for others. Best yet, it doesn’t require any installation or reconfiguring of files.

On top of the assortment of fun games is a great selection of included tools; but keep in mind they come with the DVD format. From the makers of Firefox is the web browser Gran Paradiso. The network configuration tool Wicd is available for any need to alter your network settings. A handy sound volume tool, AlsaMixer, comes included as well. However, the most useful tool is the XChat IRC client. With many multi-player games, this tool becomes essential to arrange bouts with friends and to engage in the customary trash talk.

Lastly, the Linux Gamers project has the semblance of the desktop of an operating system with icons placed on menu bars represent the library of games. The native gaming experience in Linux can surely rival anything you’ve played before.

Individuals have moved on to smart-phones and texting, but talking is always a primary communication tool for businesses. Such is the reason most companies manage an office phone system. And while open source software has carved out a market in the computing industry, it also making a push as a major player in telephony. These phone systems can run on OSS and there are plenty of reasons to make the switch.

Based on the many advancements of open source software, from its operating systems to the popular web browsers like Firefox, it’s not hard to see why it has become a competitor in telephony. A 2008 survey from Gartner showed an increased rate of OSS items used for infrastructure, as well as for replacing proprietary products. The underlying theme is businesses, and their IT personnel, are not only more comfortable using OSS, but are actively implementing it.

Reasons to incorporate OSS to a company’s telephony are not hard to visualize. By placing the IP-based voice system on its LAN and/or WAN network, calls can be sent anywhere in the world to traveling employees because of the IP protocol. It also eliminates the need of two separate systems for voice and data. The savings are immense as maintenance and hardware upgrades are no longer required, nor the requirement of proprietary phone equipment. Additionally, the calls themselves, especially between divisions in separate geographical locations, are much lower. And don’t forget the dissolution of vendor lock-in practices.

The only basic requirements are finding a suitable OSS telephony provider and configuring the company’s infrastructure to the system. Supervision of the IP solution will eventually be handed over from provider to company giving it valuable control. Because the open system model of the Internet is always churning out new applications and OSS supports superior integration to future telephony technologies, it makes for an opportune switch for any business.

Dependability and execution are two general things to always examine when picking software. Cost is another aspect, but that doesn’t really apply to open source software. Due to all the competing programs, which is a good thing, there are a few more matters to consider when choosing the right open source software for you.

First of all, consider the program’s reputation. You can garner much information just from its popularity or the numerous peer discussions on various forums. Also look out for discussion regarding the program’s future improvements. You’ll want something that will continue to be developed and finely tuned. How the development process is run is another clear indication of the software’s worth. Anything disorganized can be a red flag. In doing so, look up when the latest version became available. Most likely, you don’t want to tackle any possible bugs yourself and would rather be assured something new is on the way.

Find software is based on the open standard model, which will be an indicator to its compatibility with other software. And while you want it working well with other programs, keep in mind how well the community interacts and is willing to offer support. You may also want to consider any commercial support offered. Look up the program’s documentation to see the history of any bugs or issues and how they were resolved.

It may go without saying, but surely consider your ability to run and use the software. Some open source software is more user-oriented, while others can be much more technical. Think about what you would use it for and how well it can suit your needs. Lastly, read the license and familiarize yourself with the conditions of its use. You won’t want to get caught off guard later.

At times, it can be rather difficult for people, especially businesses, to implement open source software since the programs lack the support of large corporations that can employ an abundance of staff to tend to a potential customer’s questions or concerns. Due to this, there have been various methods created to act as an assessment process for OSS. One of them is Navicas Open Source Maturity Model. The goal is to be able to determine how a piece of software is developed to perform its task and how well it does compared to its peers.

The Open Source Maturity Model institutes a few basic stages. First, maturity tests, composed of quantitative and evaluative inquiries, are conducted as to how a certain software program matches a specific set of criteria. Each test results in a score based on performance. Requirements weightings are in place for each test based on their relevance to the program’s primary role and its targeted users. In the end is a final score that rates the software’s comparative merit and how ready it is for deployment.

Each software program is evaluated in six categories by the OSMM. These are: software, support, documentation, training, integration and professional services. The weightings will be attributed to these categories. Within each category are templates that detail which components of the category should be looked at and what the maximum score is for each component, which is ten. The category scores will be multiplied by their respective weightings, which will yield the final score anywhere from zero to one hundred.

Lastly, the final score will be evaluated on a maturity table. The maturity table considers the level of users–Early adopters or Pragmatists–and whether the software is intended for experimental purposes or is designed for general production.

Open source software communities are more than just platforms for people to mingle online and discuss aspects of a specific project or program; they are for enhancing and creating. But that doesn’t mean they are only comprised of professional programmers and engineers. Varying tech-savvy individuals have a presence as well, and its rare to encounter those notorious computer wizards: hackers. Anyone can be an asset to an open source community by being active and engaging with thoughtful information.

Before you decide to participate in an open source community, first consider a few important details. Your first step should be to assess your abilities; decide which area you are strongest. There are many areas open for contributions besides just drafting code including: web and interface designers, translators, documentation writers, testers and technical support. Wisely allocate the time you would be willing to contribute and be certain that you are not barred from partaking due to any employer or rights restrictions.

Once you officially join, take the time to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the community, as well as the people. Each community tends to have its own custom way of doing things. Learn how everyone interacts and what kind of structure is involved–whether it is a hierarchy or open democracy. This will dictate how you are to participate. It’s important to get to know the other participants and their respective roles. Feel out how they constructively criticize each other and what mode of communication they use–be it chat, mailing lists, etc.

As you become active in the community, provide frequent notices on what you’re working on and state explicitly what tools and resources you are using to keep everyone informed and have a detailed record of the project’s development. Lastly, remember open source communities are based on support, so exercise reciprocation. You’ll find being a part is a rewarding learning experience.

Open source software projects are not developed by a paid staff like propriery companies, but by a dedicated community. These open source communities are essential to the creation and improvement of a program. Requiring more than just an open source license, these communities necessitate many things to get off the ground and be successful.

An open source community is a group of developers and users with a general goal of building or developing a project. How active members are differ in each community, with roles ranging from testing to support to writing code. Very active members may gain the privilege of exclusive access and control of the project. All participants, however, are encouraged to contribute to advance the software and/or solve any problems.

At the start, an open source community is comprised of a few developers, as it takes time–years even–to get a program running. In fact, many are managed by a “benevolent dictator”: one person in charge of development and input. So, it’s key to have something that can be tested and operated by users. It’s ideal to deliver elements early and often no matter the condition. With marketing of its advantages, the project will then attract interest from users and contributions from other skilled developers. They need to be supported with credit for their work and more responsibility to keep them involved.

Even when things are up and running, there will be difficulties. For one, with the increase of users there will be a strong demand for support. It can be a tedious process to address all technical issues, thus it is imperative to have people dedicated to this role. There is also the slight possibility of a member taking the code and creating a competing project. Finally, a structure or form of governance needs to be implemented for decision making so the community can live beyond the founders and lost members.

Consider this fairly common scenario: After supporting an open source project for a long time as a user, while intently following the work of the developers, you create your own code for the project. You notice an aspect of the code that you think could use a revision, so you download the source code from the nightly build repository. Then you write a patch for that revision. But can you add it to the project?

Remember, the source code of open source software projects is copyrighted work. The holders of the copyright can distribute their copyright work to their choosing, which includes licensing it in myriad fashions. Source codes are subjected to OSI-certified licenses. To contribute your patch to the project it would have to fall under the same license, which can be done in two ways: giving your code’s copyright to the project or appropriately licensing it for use in the project. Most likely, projects will follow one or the other.

But the capacity to do anything only rests with the copyright holder. Creating the code as an employee may exempt you from the status of copyright holder. This stipulation is stated in the terms of your employment. Consult your contract for information and abstain from using anything if the copyright holder isn’t established.

If you clarify that you are indeed the copyright holder then the code is your property and you have authority over how it is used. You can sign over the copyright or license it how you see fit. In the case that you are not, then you must be granted consent from the copyright holder for any use of their material. For the open source project, the consent of the copyright holder must then be explicitly stated. Either way, consent will need to be procured for your contribution to the project in the form of a contributor license agreement.

Open source projects, which create and develop things like open source software, generally receive their submissions from their members in the form of a software patch. It can have different purposes such as repairing a bug, implementing a brand new feature or contributing to the project’s documentation. Most patches are made by employing the output of the ‘diff’ tool offered from popular systems like Linux and Unix. The patch is then submitted to a project by a contributor and reviewed by one of the project leaders. Software patches are useful to developing a project and the community following it.

By accessing files in the project’s version control system that documents the history of changes to the source code, a contributor can enact changes to the project’s output. It’s imperative that the patch to be thoroughly tested, in accordance with the project’s requirements and contain details on its use and purpose. There are many tools available for the creation of a software patch. With any program, the result is an archive of files, which essentially is the patch, that is to be provided to the project. If the leader finds the patch to be acceptable, it will be committed to the public version control system–available for the community to see and scrutinize.

It’s highly important for the contributor to create and introduce their software patch towards the most current version of the project. This eliminates the risk of duplicating previous changes, as well as the time needed for the project leader to review and insert it, plus, increases the chances of its acceptance. This makes it equally important for projects to put out their new material as soon as possible. And for the material to properly develop, it will need these software patches from contributors, which will ultimately dictate the viability of the community and the project.

While open source operating systems and software hasn’t revolutionized computing as much as some users had believed, such as unseating Mac and Windows, it significantly has and will continue to leave an impact. Its combination with various other technologies has allowed users to do things never thought of before like making these technologies work for them how they see fit. And while it may be easy to overlook its advances, it is becoming harder and harder not to use them.

A digital world where users have begun to expect free access to their desired applications is assuredly making obsolete the idea of paying for an operating system, plus the burden of licensing fees. This idea is epitomized by the business model of Microsoft. In retrospect, does it make much sense to pay for an operating system just to be able to get online and use certain software? Open source software on the other hand is free and very elastic. It can generally be used on any platform emphasizing the freedom of online applications changing users expectations.

The advantage of open source software’s flexibility is also reaching into the hardware of computing. As the demand for smart phones and tablets continue to skyrocket, the design of smaller, faster chips that use dramatically less power has flourished. These same chips are increasingly making their way inside of laptops and desktops because of their burgeoning efficiency. Some software, however, won’t run on high-performance chips like ARM. It then becomes necessary for manufacturers of these smaller computing devices to have an operating system that can operate with their components. This is what open source can do.

But to find the greatest example of open source’s impact on computing one not need go far. In fact, people researching open source software are most likely using it right now: Google. With its search engine running on Linux, as well as its Android operating system, Google has been an open source company from the very beginning. Not only does it fit its image of freedom, it accommodates their drive of opening up new frontiers. People can definitely say they use open source everyday.

Linux

Linux fans are surely familiar with the technical advantages of the Linux desktop over the mainstream proprietary systems. But if you look beyond its sheer efficiency you will find it supports a great deal of open source applications that offer interaction, fun and entertainment just like well known proprietary programs. Following are five stimulating apps that can really measure up to the usual proprietary suspects.

Ekiga
Besides email and social media apps, one of the most popular forms of interacting online is the video conferencing program Skype. While Skype’s popularity is hard to match, the Linux friendly version Ekiga is comparable in ability. Encompassing SIP calling, LAN chatting choices and the previously mentioned video conferencing, it is arguably the top open source program of its kind.

GIMP
For the design professionals and creative types, the photo editor of choice has been the proprietary application Photoshop. Understandably, it can be difficult to make a change from a program you’re comfortable with. GIMP, however, is worth a shot. Already known among most Linux users, GIMP is easy to use and very similar to Photoshop in its ability to create and manipulate images.

Scribus
Although it might take a little learning, Scribus is a desktop publishing application that has advantages over its proprietary kin like Pagemaker and InDesign. Files made in Scribus use open standards and work created in it can easily be imported and exported across different platforms. And why not put together newsletters and other publications for free?

OpenShot
Video editing software has now become a standard app for a lot of proprietary operating systems, and its no different with Linux. In fact, there are a lot of Linux video editors out there, but many are inefficient. OpenShot on the other hand is easy to use and comes with more advanced editing capabilities from audio and video effects to video transitions and clippings. A novice or expert will find a happy medium.

VLC Media Player
But if you would rather watch a video rather make one, VLC Media Player would be an excellent choice. This video viewing app can smoothly play just about any video format and stream video, as well as re-encode video.