Open source makes it possible. Using open source software to create successful commercial products

The software market offers a large selection of software. Along with applications that can be purchased for a fee, there is the opportunity to use free programs.

Free software

The term “freeware” first appeared in 1982, it was registered as a trademark by American programmer Andrew Flegleman for a communication program he developed.

You can download it for free:

• beta versions of programs
• simplified analogues of full-fledged packages
• drivers
• programs, the use of which will encourage the acquisition of additional resources.

Freeware has one advantage - you don’t have to pay money, but there are a few more disadvantages:

• no automatic program update
• no technical support
• errors during operation are possible.

Almost any commercial program for Windows has its free analogues:

• Archivers (7-Zip)
• Software for working with FTP (FileZilla)
• Antiviruses (CureIt, Avast!, AVZ)
• Text editors (Notepad++)
• Browsers (Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, GoogleChrome)

• Audio players (WinAmp)
• Video players (VLC, Miro, Media Player Classic)
• Transcoders (MediaCoder)
• Graphic editors (GIMPshop)
• Office software (Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice)

Free Windows applications are available on the Internet at developer sites. After downloading the archive and installing the software, all the directories and files in them necessary for normal operation of the application are automatically created on the computer. Free applications for Android and iOS can be downloaded using the PlayStore and AppStore marketplaces.

When downloading free programs, you run the risk of encountering a “Trojan horse” effect: the developer includes other programs in the freely distributed package, which are automatically placed on the computer when the package is installed. This software is not always safe!

Open source projects occupy a special place in the category of free software. Some of the above software (Mozilla Firefox, 7-Zip, FileZilla, Notepad++, Miro, VLC, Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Media Player Classic, GIMPshop, Google Chrome) belong specifically to this category.

Open Source software

The software can be distributed as closed source (Microsoft Windows, MS Office - proprietary software) or open source. Coined in 1984, the term “free software” refers to software that can be obtained for free, modified using available source code, and redistributed.

Programs are distributed under the GNU GPL license and must meet the following requirements:

1. There are no restrictions on the use of software in certain areas of activity.
2. The source code is distributed with the executable module or can be obtained from an accessible source for free/at a reasonable cost. The code must be readable.
3. The modified version is distributed under general conditions. The name or version number may be changed.
4. The program is available to everyone.

In 1998, the concept of “open source software” was introduced. Formally, all free software can be considered open source software. It is customary to classify open source programs as free, although it is not prohibited to use them for commercial purposes. Typically, it is distributed under the Apache 2.0 license. But there are other options (for more information about licenses in the open source world, see).

Advantages of working with open source projects:

• this is a good educational material
• the functions described in the project are not prohibited from being built into your applications
• detected errors can be corrected and the correct code placed in the appropriate repository
• When compiling a program, it is allowed to make changes to the text and modernize it to suit specific conditions of use.

Flaws:

• compilation may require additional libraries that you will have to search on the Internet
• If you have questions when using this software, you will need to look for the answer on forums on the Internet.

The Open Source concept is based on increasing the reliability and quality of software by detecting and correcting errors by many users. The open source project is constantly tested by a huge number of programmers.

Google has been widely implementing open source technology for a long time. All of its projects of this type, about 200 of them (Kubernetes was originally developed here and then transferred to the management of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation), are available on the company's GOOGLE OPEN SOURCE portal. The resource contains not only program codes, but also documentation on their use and support. How widely you can use openly provided code is indicated in the license, usually directly placed in the text of the program.

Apple, by opening the source codes of the Swift language, is trying to increase the number of available applications for Apple. The current version of the language currently has limitations: in order to upload your development to the AppStore, you will have to purchase licensed Swift. All information necessary for the language is posted on the swift.org website and in the GitHub cloud storage. Swift has been released for Linux.

Shareware

Some programs distributed free of charge have restrictions:

• according to work period
• by number of launches
• by functionality

To limit the period of operation and the number of starts, trial protection is used - special counters. As limited functionality software, a demo version or a version with limited service is provided. Sometimes the developer inserts advertising into the program code, making it difficult to work with the package. To get rid of an advertising banner, you will have to pay.

Examples of programs with a shareware license:

• WinRAR archiver (30 days)
• Antivirus Nod32 (30 days)

AcrobatReader is an example of a program with limited functionality. This program, the lower end of the AdobeAcrobat suite, only allows viewing of PDF files. To fully work with these types of files, you need to buy a more complete version of Acrobat.

Major developers provide their products free of charge for personal use for study purposes. If you plan to use their software for commercial purposes, you must purchase a license.

For example, Oracle allows you to download the DBMS distribution kit and utilities for working with it for free. In this case, restrictions are imposed on the volume of the processed data array. But for learning the principles of working with a database and practicing the skill of writing procedures, this option for working with software is suitable.

Actually, when downloading the “source code” of open source software, you must be prepared to incur certain costs in order to use it. There is no need to purchase a license, but you will need to pay for the work of programmers who will create software products based on it for a specific task.

conclusions

By purchasing licensed paid software, you automatically get the opportunity to seek technical support from the developer and regularly update your product as necessary. To install it on your computer, you do not need to have deep knowledge in the field of IT.

When installing free software, pay attention to the date it was created/updated and be sure to check the software for viruses. Such programs are used by both IT specialists and PC users of various levels.

Open source projects are of interest to people who are interested in programming and professionals. Usually the texts of these programs can be downloaded for free. Compiling an executable module and creating the necessary working environment for it requires certain skills of an IT specialist.

The undoubted advantage of open source projects is their independence from the vendor; large companies prefer to create corporate software based on them. This becomes especially relevant for state corporations due to possible difficulties in purchasing proprietary products due to economic sanctions. A limiting factor in the implementation of open source is some uncertainty associated with information security: problems may arise when obtaining certification from the FSTEC.

The essence of open source software

Software, along with hardware, is the most important component of information technology, which includes computer programs and data designed to solve a certain range of problems and stored on various types of electronic media. Software is either data for use in other programs or an algorithm implemented as a sequence of instructions to the processor.

Software is a set of programs that provide data processing or transmission and are intended for repeated use and application by different users. Based on the types of functions performed, software is divided into system, application and instrumental.

Software falls into two broad categories: proprietary software and open source software. Proprietary software is the private property of copyright holders, who reserve the right to use, copy, and modify it with certain restrictions. Limits may change for users of the software when they purchase a license to use or pay royalties on each copy of the software sold.

Unlike proprietary software, open source software is open source software that is available to the public to view and modify. Anyone can use the created code, distributed as part of open source software, for their own needs. The conditions for the development of open source programs, the features of their use and implementation in practice, provide each programmer with the opportunity to use and modify the code to create new programs and participate in the development of open source software together with other programmers around the world. In addition, the open source program allows users to participate in its development and contribute to the development of functionality in future versions by correcting errors in the code and expanding the capabilities and functions performed.

Open source policy represents the principle of distributed software development. The open source policy received its most serious impetus in development after the young Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds wrote a new operating system kernel in 1992 and posted the codes online for improvement together with the international community of programmers and hackers.

The efforts of computer equipment manufacturers to promote solutions, supported by powerful marketing support, have become widely known open-source software(open source software). In modern official usage in Russian, this phenomenon is usually called free software(SPO).

The essence of the concept consists of several principles for the creation and distribution of open source software:

• availability of source codes for everyone;
• distribution licensing policy based on one of the community approved licenses (see opensource.org);
• the opportunity to directly participate in the development and correction of errors in the software on your own;
• the ability to change some software functions and adapt to new conditions (subject to the availability of changes to the entire community);
• maximum compatibility with open standards;
• ability to work in various operating systems and on several platforms (cross-platform).

These principles are used to create the majority

SPO. It is worth noting that there is a noticeable difference between free And free BY. Despite the fact that most open source software licenses provide for free distribution, this property alone is not enough for the software to be considered free.

Open source has already won a number of important victories over the strongest of proprietary software manufacturers. Specifically the web server Apache is far ahead of similar products from other companies (including Microsoft) in terms of market share due to its low cost, independence from suppliers, the presence of many users with experience in its administration and support from developers. Linux surpassed all other types in terms of supply volumes Unix for platform Intel, including the long-held leadership SCO. Open source DBMSs occupy a strong position in the markets for open source operating systems and popular low-end Internet solutions. The threat to proprietary software comes from the benefits of open source software, which are similar to those of the Internet, i.e. openness, freedom of adaptation, etc.

Free software already has a strong presence in server operating systems, Internet infrastructure, web application servers, database management systems for small businesses and departments based on web databases with dynamic generation of web pages, technical and embedded computing systems, and software for server devices. Speaking of Internet infrastructure, it should be noted that most devices run operating systems and other open source software. These devices include domain name servers, routers, switches, firewalls, gateways, load balancers, application and database servers, etc.

Given these advances, open source software poses a threat to firms whose primary source of revenue is client access fees and licensing fees for proprietary software. Open source brings the hardware market's obsolescence and commoditization business model to software—a model that is difficult for a traditional software vendor, especially a leader, to adapt to.

Many of the vendors using open source business models did not develop as traditional software providers to begin with. As open source market share grows and its position in strategic online markets grows, legacy software providers are recognizing the threats posed by open source and the opportunities presented by new business models. Naturally, traditional software providers have the opportunity to adopt these business models in whole or in part, depending on their product range. But even so, open source poses a tangible and very real threat to the way software companies do business.

There are four main threats to closed companies from open source.

• Price pressure. Since open source licenses essentially require free distribution of software and its modifications, prices for similar traditional products need to be reduced to keep up with open source software and combat the loss of market share. For example, SCO cannot charge $2,000 for Unix for platform Intel, while Linux available for free, a Microsoft monopolizes the desktop sector. Traditional vendors, however, can partially recoup their losses by making their software products better than SP O's and charging extra for it.
• Quite good functionality."Good enough" software (but not the best) can partially displace products from traditional software vendors, which are too often aimed at the mass market. More complex (and expensive) functionality in its early stages of development is always aimed at a relatively small group of specialist users. But even manufacturers operating in this market still need to clearly understand that the market for highly developed software will expand and deepen. If advanced functionality fails to attract a wider range of users, customers will naturally purchase open source alternatives, albeit less developed ones. In very large mass markets, dominant open source software providers, in addition to increasing their supply volumes, have a lot of opportunities for growth through the implementation of additional product and service strategies. The size of the mass market itself ensures lower prices due to high supply volumes, which allows end consumers to receive significant profits even with a slight increase in the cost of their products.

In some cases, open source software can even outperform traditional products in functionality. For example, Apache became the first of the web servers to introduce an Internet function popular among providers IP aliasing allowing you to host several Internet domain names on one system.

• "Network Effects" conditioned by knowledge and study of software and tools for mass use. The cost of training users of a new technology constitutes a significant portion of the total cost of ownership, exceeding the price of the software product itself. A company with a large user base familiar with the product and its accompanying tools can leverage this familiarity by releasing new versions or entering adjacent markets. This type of network effect can vary depending on the type of user - software developers use API, system administrators handle specific administration tools, users operate graphical user interfaces, and managers establish relationships with vendors. Once formed, this network of partners and users of open source solutions is no longer destroyed and allows you to solve smaller marketing problems, such as gaining adherents and customer loyalty.
• Standardization pressure. The final threat from the open source movement is its tools and culture, which views as its enemy all sorts of technological barriers erected by traditional software vendors.

Recently, the most rapidly developing area in software is the so-called "commercialopen-source", those. JV O supported by ordinary commercial companies. The corporation should be considered one of the leaders in this direction Sun, which is developing several large projects in this sector: OpenSolaris OS DBMS MySQL office suite OpenOffice.org and virtualization environment Virtual Box. As a rule, there are several versions of such software, including a commercial one. When paying for a license, the user receives technical support, as well as, in some cases, special tools for convenient work that are not available under an open license. That is, for small needs, companies can use free or free versions of software, and when requests increase, buy commercial extensions without changing anything in their infrastructure and applications. Thus, the commercial version of open source software directly competes with the developments of traditional companies, for example Microsoft, which actively creates special licensing schemes for use in the Internet environment (we are talking about server software).

As a result, open source software on the Internet plays a system-forming role, supporting and developing the basic principles of building the Network. In addition, the use of open source software is relevant from the point of view of focusing on the provision of services instead of the sale of goods. Therefore, when creating Internet systems, it is worth focusing on open standards and software that implements them, since only this way will provide the opportunity for business development and obtaining new opportunities in electronic markets.

The use of open source software to support Internet technologies is natural and necessary from the point of view of the properties of scaling, globality and compatibility. For example, increasing the number of servers or other infrastructure devices does not require additional software investment, which provides greater flexibility than with proprietary software. This becomes especially true when the cost of software exceeds the hardware component of the project. The requirements of globality and compatibility are implemented thanks to good support for cross-platform open source software and the use of open standards, which allows maintaining a high level of compatibility even with many competing products and platforms on the market.

In light of modern developments of service applications based on web technologies, open source software in combination with inexpensive computers (nettops and netbooks) can significantly displace traditional desktop and mobile systems, the basis of which is the operating system Windows and traditional office suites. Using a lightweight, custom OS with a kernel-based GUI Linux and modern web browsers allows you to perform most everyday tasks on netplatforms using only open source software.

Many people buy various software or use hacked, pirated versions of them. Users see the program's graphical interface, but the product's code is usually hidden. In this regard, it is almost impossible to change the software, which guarantees the author protection from those who want to copy the program code and appropriate it for themselves. But, despite this, there are more and more so-called “Open Source” programs in the modern world. Let's understand what open source programs are and what are their positive and negative aspects.

What can be considered open source?

Almost all software reaches the end user as ready-made software. These are fully functional programs with a nice interface and easy to use. If the code of this product is open, then anyone can change it, offer their own options for correcting the errors found, or introduce some kind of innovation. Thus, the quality of this product improves over time. Examples of open source operating systems are Linux, Unix, Ubuntu.

Everyone is familiar with Microsoft Office, an analogue of which, but with open source, is Open Office. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers are also open source software. There are a lot of similar products, many use a large amount of software and do not suspect that some of this could be an Open Source program.

Open Source Features

For software to be called a program, it is not enough that its code is open to everyone. Such a program should be absolutely free. In addition, for further use and attempts to change the code, the user also does not have to pay anything. Anyone has the right to freely distribute this product, and, as stated above, change it. Such programs have no restrictions on the scope and duration of use. They can be used for doing business, scientific research, training, or for your own purposes for an unlimited amount of time.

Open Source Software License

The license for such programs is also free. There are absolutely no restrictions on application, modification, distribution, use with other compatible software. Also, it is technologically neutral to all other existing programs.

Pros and cons of Open Source programs

Unlike classic licensed programs, they are developed by a group of free programmers, and that is why they are free.

The second important advantage is that we can upgrade program data. A good programmer, having understood the code, can add new options to the program or improve the operation of existing functions. For example, user MacOS cannot change its operating system, unlike Linux, which everyone can not only customize at their own discretion, but also add any individual functions. As a result, he will get a completely new product that is very convenient to use. If the resulting program is really good, then it can be patented and even sold (!)

Another undeniable advantage of the programs is their protection from viruses. Almost all viruses are written for applications Windows, and malware for the same Linux a negligible amount. Thus, the chance of getting a virus using an open source operating system is very low.

Today, many organizations are switching to open source software. This allows you to reduce costs and minimize the likelihood of system hacking.

But, as you know, any medal has two sides, we’ll tell you about the disadvantages of Open Source programs.

If you encounter any problems with the software, you usually contact technical support. Open source programs do not have this. This problem occurs because the program has been modified by different programmers from all over the country or even the world. So you will have to look for a solution to the problem on the Internet. Internet or figure it out yourself.

The second disadvantage arises again due to the fact that anyone can change the program code. Often people's views may not coincide, and this causes conflicts in modifying the product. This can lead to the collapse of a project that many people have been working on for a long time.

Also, malicious programs are often disguised as open source code, and it can sometimes be very difficult to distinguish them from truly safe software.

Despite the fact that such programs have some disadvantages, more and more users are interested in them. More and more products today are created with open source code. This means that such programs have a future and are worth paying attention to.