Open source is a term used to describe software whose license
gives the users the freedom to use the software for any purpose,
to modify the software, and to freely redistribute either
the original or modified software without further limitations
or royalty payments.
The advantages are clear; when developers can read, redistribute,
and modify the source code (the programming data that is used
to build the software, website, etc...) of a program, the
software evolves. People are free to improve it, adapt it
for their purpose, fix bugs, etc. The end result is often
a highly efficient, extremely cost-effective and well tested
piece of software that benefits from a larger support base
of developers than conventional 'closed-source' software.
Open source software is developed under a wide variety of
licenses that vary in the terms of their use. The most well
known license is the GPL (GNU Public License) which is the
license that the Linux operating system is mostly developed
under. Other well known licenses are the LGPL an FreeBSD.
Enradia is firmly committed to the Open Source movement.
We have benefited immensely from the use of open source software
ourselves and believe that our clients should too. To this
end, all of the code used in our Content Management Systems
is developed under an open source standard.
The benefits to the client are threefold:
1. Cost. Because the software is essentially free, your investment
is limited to the design, customization and support of the
software for your needs.
2. Future support: Further down the line, you may decide to
have modifications performed on the software in-house or by
a third party. The are no limitation to you doing this and
your developer can easily locate development and support information
on the web to assist them. The only restriction is that any
modifications must be bound by the same licensing terms as
the original code.
3. Development base: Because most of the code that we use
is developed by a worldwide pool of developers, the software
undergoes rapid development and a strong testing base.
Popular OS Licenses:
- GPL (GNU Public License)
- LGPL (Lesser GNU Public License)
- FreeBSD
All of the above licenses as well as others can be found
at Open
Source.
The license must not place restrictions on other software
that is distributed along with the licensed software. For
example, the license must not insist that all other programs
distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.
Free Redistribution
No restrictions are placed on parties
from selling of giving away the software.
Source Code
The software must include source code and must
also allow for binary distributions when there is a well-publicized
means of obtaining the source code.
Derived Works
Modifications and derived works must be allowed,
and must be distributed under the same terms as the license
of the original software.
Integrity of the Author's Source Code
The distribution of
modified source code must be allowed although restrictions
to ensure the possibility to distinguish the original source
code from the derived works are tolerated. For example, the
possibility of using different software names.
No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
The license must
not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
The license must
not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific
field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program
from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic
research.
Distribution of License
The rights attached to the program
must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without
the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.
License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
The rights given
by the license must not be different for the original distribution
and any other one even when it takes place in a totally different
context.
License Must Not Contaminate Other Software
The license must
not place restrictions on other software that is distributed
along with the licensed software. For example, the license
must not insist that all other programs distributed on the
same medium must be open-source software.
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