1 / 10

Free Software: History, Perspectives and Implications

Free Software: History, Perspectives and Implications. 'Source Code' – Human readable documents that define a program's logic. Example:. sub login { my $login = shift; my $password = shift; my $user = User->new(); my $query="Select id from User where login=? AND password=?";

olesia
Download Presentation

Free Software: History, Perspectives and Implications

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Free Software: History, Perspectives and Implications

  2. 'Source Code' – Human readable documents that define a program's logic. Example: sub login { my $login = shift; my $password = shift; my $user = User->new(); my $query="Select id from User where login=? AND password=?"; my $id = $user->dbread('', $query, $login, $password); if ($id) { $user = $user->lookup($id->[0]); $user->{'session'} = &getSession; $user->save; return $user; } else { return; } }

  3. Early Software Development • Specialized, expensive computers • Run by highly-skilled technicians • Extensive programming was required even for simple tasks • Sharing of source code was commonplace

  4. Creation of Software Industry • Computer hardware became more powerful • Allowed for more complex software • Relative value of software increased, as cost of hardware decreased • Technology companies begin to restrict their software

  5. GNU Project • GNU's Not Unix • Create Fully Free Operating System • Unix base meant tools could be run on many different types of computers

  6. GNU General Public License • Protects software from further restrictions • 'copyleft' • 'Free as in Speech, Not as in Beer'

  7. Bazaar Model De-centralized Many developers Open process Frequent releases Cathedral vs. Bazaar Models Cathedral Model • Centralized Development • Few core developers • Only release stable code

  8. Use of Free Software • Linux 'Clusters' • Many computers acting as one • 49 of 500 top supercomputers run free software • Also used in movie CGI: Titanic, Phantom Menace, Lord of the Rings made using Linux

  9. Recipe Analogie • Explanation of Programming • Show some source code • History • Early days – pre software industry • Stallman anecdote • GPL • Free as in Freedom • Linux • Widespread use of free software • Benefits • Cathedral vs. Bazaar • Software is consumer-driven, not profit driven • Given enough eyes, all bugs are shallow • Motivations • Identity • ego/reputation • For pay • Oss business models • Urge to create • Implications • New Class Theory • Progressive uses • Schools • Governments • Developing nations • Intellectual Property

More Related