Open Source: What is It?

Open Source: What is it?

Practices, Processes, Advantages, and Risks

Jonathan MarkowChief Strategy Officer

DuraSpace Webinar SeriesJune 2, 2011

The Rise of Open Source

Gartner Survey Reveals More than Half of Respondents Have Adopted Open-Source Software Solutions as Part of IT Strategy

- February 8, 2011

• http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1541414


“Worldwide more than 350 million consumers use open source software products and thousands of enterprises use open source code.”

http://www.ifosslr.org/ifosslr/article/view/11/37


“Open Source Software Hits a Strategic Tipping Point”-Harvard Business Review BlogMarch 9, 2011

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/open_source_software_hits_a_st.html

What is Open Source?

Openvs.

Open Source

The Open Source Definition

The Open Source Initiative(opensource.org)

“Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process.”

“The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.”

Vendors are our Friends!(…but lock-in is bad!)

More on this later…

What BestCharacterizes

OpenSource

Community

Open Source Values

Collaboration

Transparency

Meritocracy

Generosity

Innovation

The Source Code is Free

Source Code Is Not Enough…

Distribution of the software has to comply with some important requirements…

Open Source Requirements

• Free Distribution

• Access to Source Code


• Derived works allowed

• Integrity of author’s source


• No Discrimination!…against people…against groups, fields of

endeavor

• All rights applied equally


• License must not restrict other software

• License must be technology neutral

Licenses

Restrictive vs. Permissive

http://opensource.org/licenses/category

Advantages

• More freedom to make decisions about how to use the software

Advantages

• High Quality“Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”

-Eric Raymond

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Advantages

• Excellent Security

Advantages

• Responsive to the Community

Advantages

• Ease of Customization

Advantages

• Lower Cost (?)

Myth #1

“If we adopt open source software, we’ll be at the mercy of crazed hackers!”

• Contributors earn trust and build reputation

• Developers usually have the support of their employers

• Communities are self-policing

Myth #2

“If we go with open source, I won’t have a throat to choke!”

• Options for throat-chokers• Commercial service providers

Myth #3

“Open source is more risky because the project/software/community could just disappear!”

• Not likely, but loss of momentum is a risk

• Consider the mitigating factors…

• And don’t forget the track record of proprietary systems!

Myth #4

• “Open source must be less secure. Anyone could just add malicious code!”

• That’s not the way it works!• Protected repository• Trusted committers• Many eyes on the code

• Malicious code is hard to inject. (Unintentional vulnerabilities are easier.)

Myth #5

“We can’t implement open source software because we don’t have the resources to contribute back to the project!”

• Consumer vs. Creator• Many options for helpful

participation

Myth #6

• “If it’s open source, I won’t be able to get support!”

• Plenty of companies earn a living providing service for open source products

• Service level agreements

Open Source Models

1. Traditional Community-Driven• Meritocracy• Transparency• Open to all• Volunteer• User/corporate sponsorships• Key risk: Deliverables not iron-clad

Open Source Models

2. Traditional Community-Drivenwith Commercial Partners

• Vendors are part of the community• Contribute to projects• Provide service• May license proprietary plugins

Open Source Models

3. “Community Source”• e.g., Kuali Model• Decision makers invest in a seat at the

table• Managed resources• Hierarchical, directed development

structure with more predictable outcomes.• Vendor partners contribute• Key Risk: Diversity might be limited

Open Source Models

4. “Open Core”• For-profit vendor owns the intellectual

property• Core open source application is

accompanied by proprietary version, which comes with licensing or support fee

• e.g., “Community” vs. “Enterprise” versions• Requires dual licensing• Key risk: Could be insular, self-interest

outweighs community

The DuraSpace Model

• Traditional open source• Community driven; non-profit• Diverse committers, users;

international participation• Registered service providers• Community sponsorship (Soon:

Corporate sponsorship)• Service revenue (DuraCloud)

Pathways to Success with Open Source

• …For the Project• …For the Institution

Project Success

• Be welcoming; be generous• Attract and mentor new talent• Create an easy entry to the project

(e.g., list of potential patches)• Attract diversity of committers• Maintain a responsive mailing list

Project Success

• Be transparent• (Almost) all discussions are open• Everything goes on the mailing list• Code exposed to all• Publicize project roadmap

Project Success

• Adopt well-understood processes• How is code contributed?• How are decisions made?

Project Success

• Committers decide• But everyone is invited to the

conversation• New committers selected by current

group• Consensus decision-making

Project Success

• Include techies, users, administrators, writers, managers into project• There are many useful roles for

people who want to contribute

Project Success

• Get the word out!• Communication is key

• Web site• Wiki• Blogs• Social media

• Visibility• Present at conferences, other

• Marketing

Project Success

Producing Open Source Software-Karl Fogel

http://producingoss.com/html-chunk/index.html

Institutional Success

• Do your due diligence• Product Comparisons• Assess costs• Insist that your purchasing

department gives Open Source a fair hearing during an RFP process

• Focus on pilot functionality more than RFP check lists


• Evaluate the Open Source project• What is the sustainability model?• Subscribe to the mailing lists• Look at the web sites, wiki• Is there documentation?• Are there options for third-party

support?


• Evaluate the project (cont.)• What is the governance model?• How many users?• Does the project have momentum?• Regular releases?• Are there options for third-party

support?


• Evaluate the project (cont.)• Consult with peer institutions• Attend conferences• Attend webinars• Any recognition in trade press,

online?


• Evaluate the project community• Diverse set of committers?• Open, transparent, respectful of

newcomers?• Subscribe to the mailing lists• How active are the developers?


• Internal project management is critical• Treat the implementation as you

would any other product• What role will your technical staff

play?• Active development?• Implementation partners?• Manager of third-party services?

Protect Your Investment

• Do you use the product?• Does it meet your needs? • If so, support the community!

Support the Community

• Commit developer resources• Commit code• Contribute patches


• Be active on the mailing lists (offer help where you can)

• Contribute documentation• Contribute training material• Host a developer meeting, a user

meeting, a regional meetup


• Attend conferences• Present at conferences• Be a product reference• Join user groups• Volunteer for a case study


Be an Advocate!

Questions

Jonathan Markow * [email protected]

Open Source: What is It?

Technology

Transcript of Open Source: What is It?