Lecture 21 The Open Source Movement Flashcards
What is the difference between copyright and copyleft.
Copyright is the exclusive rights given by law for a certain term of years to an author to publish and sell copies of his original work
Copyleft is a method for making a program free and requiring all modified and extended versions of the program to be free also
This allows programs to be modified and then shared along with their improvements
What is open source software
Open source software supports the free redistribution of an end product
It support access to that product design and implementation details
What is the Gnu project?
The GNU system set out to create a free operating system for all users to control their own computing
What does free mean?
Free in software terms means that the software is users have freedom
This can be to run the program
To study and change the program and source code
To redistribute the program
To modify and redistribute
What is the free software foundation FSF
The FSf is a non-profit organisation with a mission to promote a computer user freedom and defend the rights of free software
Is free software really good value
Studies have shown consumers are happy to pay for our apps if they have better functionality
What is Linux?
Linux is a free variants of UNIX
Has about 1.5% of the total operating system share on the planet and is used in about half of all web servers
What is ODF?
ODF is an open office file format to help reduce the monopoly that Microsoft has.
Microsoft office now opens and saves ODF files as a result
Why is open source software better for developing nations
High cost of commercial software can prohibit users in developing countries from keeping up with developed nations
What are the drawbacks of open source software?
Bug fixes may not happen quickly or at all
Most people to develop open source software do not like writing documentation
No guarantee of future development
Projects can be abandoned midway
Can a business rely on support of the software
