The open source approach to software design, development, and distribution offers a powerful alternative to the commercial release of software titles. In basic terms, open source refers to a situation where the source code of a piece of software is made accessible to anyone who wishes to work with it. There are lots of software distributions around the world that are open source in nature, spanning almost the entire range of possible software titles. Even within the large pro audio, graphical design, and web design software market, there are often a number of open source titles that compete against the large commercial releases.
Open source is a fairly broad term, which can be used in a multitude of ways by people working within the software industry. Some people see it as an overall philosophy relating to freedom of information and accessibility of knowledge, whereas for others it is simply one out of many possible approaches to software design and development. As computers have become more ubiquitous within a larger range of industries, open source development has become adopted as an inexpensive and productive way to produce both general and highly specific software titles.
Open source is a model that relates not only to the design and distribution of software, but also to the decision making processes involved in its production. The rise of the Internet has helped various open source communities to thrive and prosper, providing an ease of collaboration and the possibility for interactive communities to develop. For an open source community designing something complex like a piece of website designer software, the Internet is an invaluable resource which speeds up decision making, collaboration, and the distribution of software titles.
Despite the commercial nature of the majority of the software industry, open source titles continue to be designed, developed, and released to the public. Some of the most famous examples of open source titles include the Apache HTTP server, Mozilla Firefox, and the Linux operating system. As long as computer software is still being developed, there is sure to be a large open source element operating within the industry. Open source is important not only as a way to come up with great computer applications and fantastic online communities, but also as a reminder that the best things in life can still – sometimes – be free.
