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Open Source Software Alternatives: Wave of the Future?

Open Source Software Alternatives: Wave of the Future?. CS 99 2/8/2005. GNU (“guh-noo”). GNU Project launched 1983 by Richard Stallman GNU Preamble:

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Open Source Software Alternatives: Wave of the Future?

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  1. Open Source Software Alternatives: Wave of the Future? CS 99 2/8/2005

  2. GNU (“guh-noo”) • GNU Project launched 1983 by Richard Stallman • GNU Preamble: • “The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or non-commercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others.”

  3. GNU Licensed Software • Emacs, gcc, Perl, OpenOffice • OpenOffice (Free) vs. Microsoft Office ($239) • OpenOffice is compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access • GNU Suite Paired with Linux Kernel (Open source)

  4. Mozilla Firefox • Open source web browser released fall 2004 • Recent Boston Globe Article: • ''Firefox was a big breakthrough," Kapor, who also sits on the Mozilla board, said in an interview. ''It crossed the great divide by taking open source into new territory. The goal for 2005 is to get usable software into people's hands, to create more open source channels."

  5. Internet Explorer Alternative • “Firefox, available as a free download on computers powered by Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system and Apple's OS X, as well as Linux, caught on partly because of disenchantment with security holes in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. In the two months since its release, more than 12 million people have downloaded the Firefox browser, which has claimed 4.1 percent of US browser usage” • Constant need for IE security patches in recent months

  6. Linux vs. Windows • Linux Going Pro: • Jan. 31 2005 Business Week Article: • Torvalds now has a team of lieutenants, nearly all of them employed by tech companies, that oversees development of top-priority projects. Tech giants such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel are clustered around the Finn, contributing technology, marketing muscle, and thousands of professional programmers. IBM alone has 600 programmers dedicated to Linux, up from two in 1999. There's even a board of directors that helps set the priorities for Linux development.

  7. Benefits • The result of this investment will be much more powerful, robust, user supported software. • Red Hat-$35 for single license to $1500 for high-end server version • HP sales of servers running Linux hit $2 billion, doubling from previous fiscal year • “In the Linux community, this kind of red-meat capitalism is combined with the sharing philosophy of the open-source movement.” • Linux is forcing Microsoft to make discounts or lose sales

  8. Open Source Trends • 12 million copies of Firefox downloaded in 2 months • Walmart line of $500 computers loaded with Linux distribution • Saves $100-$150 from price of Windows license • Linux has become increasingly popular in corporate/business environments • Novell (SUSE) spokesman: “As people start to get introduced to desktop Linux in a corporate environment, they'll start to use it at home as well. There are cost advantages that, over time, will be appealing to home users.”

  9. Current Mozilla Open Source Projects • Chandler project - ambitious platform combining e-mail, task management, data storage, and other free-floating features into a more intuitive system. • Project combining Thunderbird e-mail client with Subird calendar

  10. Open Source Companies • IBM - Apache Web Server • Novell - SUSE Linux • Apple - core layers of OS X Server was open source BSD OS Darwin • Sun - Mozilla Web browser • Red Hat - extremely successful Linux distribution

  11. Conclusion • “Let's just say you have an irresistible force and an immovable object. The irresistible force is open source, and the immovable object is the Windows operating environment. I would expect there would be increasing collisions over the next decade."

  12. Sources • Weisman, Robert. “Group aims to capitalize on Firefox success.” 1/10/2005. The Boston Globe Online. http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2005/01/10/group_aims_to_capitalize_on_firefox_success/ • Wikipedia:Text of the GNU Free Documentation License • “Linux, Inc.” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_05/b3918001_mz001.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_jan21&link_position=link1 • “GNU.” Wikepedia Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU

  13. This Presentation has been created with Microsoft Powerpoint, because my (Apple) computer came with it.

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