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FOSS as Infrastructure

FOSS as Infrastructure. What is FOSS?. Stands for Free and Open Source Software Free means the freedom to run, distribute, or modify software Open source: software is publicly developed rather than behind closed doors

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FOSS as Infrastructure

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  1. FOSS as Infrastructure

  2. What is FOSS? • Stands for Free and Open Source Software • Free means the freedom to run, distribute, or modify software • Open source: software is publicly developed rather than behind closed doors • According to the United States Department of Defense: FOSS is “software for which the human-readable source code is available for use, study, re-use, modification, enhancement, and re-distribution by the users of that software”

  3. Examples of FOSS • Firefox • MediaWiki – Wikipedia’s software • Linux • Apache

  4. Companies that utilize FOSS • Google • Yahoo • Facebook • Spotify • Wikipedia • Amazon • Stephen Fry!

  5. The Internet without FOSS • Over half the Web sites on the Internet would disappear.  • These websites run Apache Web Server, an open source web server • Those sites still operating would have little or no active content. • Much of the active content such as fill-out forms is written in FOSS. • Email wouldn't be working. • Most email programs use sendmail, which is FOSS • You'll be typing "74.125.224.168" into your browser instead of "www.google.com". • The Internet’s Domain Name Servers are dependent on FOSS called BIND. Source: http://www.netaction.org/articles/freesoft.html

  6. Why FOSS for a business? • Linus’ Law – “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” • This peer review results in a very stable and robust system • No vendor lock-in • Open standards • Flexible • Can be modified by in-house developers to tailor it specifically for your business • Most FOSS is free of cost

  7. The Case for FOSS in Infrastructure: United States Department of Defense (US DoD) • A study in 2003 by MITRE on the use of FOSS in the US DoD concluded: • The security of the DoD depends on FOSS because of its open source nature • FOSS plays a bigger role in the DoD than originally recognized • The use of such software should be encouraged • Allowed the DoD to cut costs and still have robust security for their infrastructure

  8. Conclusion • The open nature of FOSS makes it stable for businesses • Mature FOSS has been hardened and tested comprehensively • It can be tailored to fit any particular business’ needs • A lot of FOSS is public availably, free of charge • Businesses can also try it without paying anything upfront

  9. Sources • http://www.slideshare.net/socializedsoftware/delivering-infrastructureasaservice-with-open-source-software • http://opensource.org/advocacy/case_for_business.php • http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/ar01s04.html • http://www.informationweek.com/storage/systems/true-cost-of-open-source-storage-softwar/240146328 • http://dodcio.defense.gov/OpenSourceSoftwareFAQ.aspx • http://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/FOSS/dodfoss_pdf.pdf • http://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/FOSS/2009OSS.pdf • http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Articles/Entries/2012/3/21_The_Value_Of_Open_Source_Storage_Software_In_The_Enterprise.html

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