University of Wales

British Hellenic College

Computing 2nd year CO2

3rd Semester
English III, CO211

“Open Source and Open Source Operating Systems”

author: Pappas Evagelos

lecturer: Il. Kardasi
date: 12/1/2010
 What is “Open Source”?

Before considering “Open Source” as a philosophy or some kind of “Motion Development”, what

really is, a practical development tactic that promote access to product’s source materials, or as it’s well

known it’s own source code. Actually is a public release of a project under some district license that

ensures every new edition or addition to the source code will be public available, and protects the rights

of the original authors, but also prohibits restriction on how this material can be used and who can use

it.

Open Source’s main idea existed long before computers and internet existed. It was first born and

used in business model and other scientific researches were close-core-patents became world wide

standards. A well known example is ARPANET, a military research project witch is the precursor of

today’s internet. The “big bang” of this movement “explode” from Palo Alto in reaction to Netscape

corporation in January of 1998. Announced of a new source code for a web browser called “Navigator”

( today’s Mozilla's Firefox” ). The term was given a big boost at the scheduled event on April of 1998

organized from the publisher Tim O’Reilly named “Open Source Summit”, where brought together all

the leaders of all big free and open source projects where the schism of “Free Software” and “Open

Source” was brought up. As resulted after the press Conference “Open Source” was adopted from the

“Free Software” Community.

it’s worth to mention, in that time companies at first hearing of “Open Source” began to publish a

portion of their source code to claim they were open source, while keeping key parts closed. This led to

the development upgrading parts of licenses to distinguish between truly open and hybrid forms of

open source.
 Why “Free” is not “Open”

By considering “Free Software” should be avoided the parameter of the price, and phasing the

matter of liberty. Should be paradigm by the phrase “Free as in Free Speech not as free beer”(phrase of

FS Community) . The kinds of freedoms that referred are:

• Freedom 0: Free to run the program for any purpose.

• Freedom 1: Free to study the code and adapt it to your needs. Access to source code is a

precondition of this.

• Freedom 2: Free to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.

• Freedom 3: Free to improve your program and release your improvements to the public, so the

whole community benefits.

And now the world wide confusion, is “Free” equal to “Open”? The typical answer is no, “Free

Software” does not refer to “Open Source” but not always vice verse. Free software was first launched

in 1984 from the GNU project (today’s Linux) a free powerful operating system. And from then

generated a whole community of “Free Software” projects and a movement that change the history and

the future of Computer’s science.

Furthermore, “Open Source” as “Free Software” also holds its own definition. Each distribution

terms of an open-source project must comply with the following ten arguments: (written by Bruce

Perens)

1. Free Redistribution

◦ The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a

component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different

sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.

2. Source Code

◦ The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well
 as compiled form.

3. Derived Works

◦ The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be

distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.

4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code

◦ The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only .

5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups

6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor

7. Distribution of License

◦ The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed.

8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product

9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software

10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

At last, “Open Source” project is “Free software” but with the main difference, “Open Source” is

a development methodology but “Free software” is developer’s social movement, with ethical

imperative for the user/developer/knowledge freedom.

 Open Source Operating System VS Close source Commercial Operating System

Should be obvious that concluding in a result in such comparison is very difficult and unfair for

many reason. First and for the most, each Operating system serves their own users and solves specific

issues. Tough comparing them is a way of choosing what best fits for each solution.

The criteria that should be takes are:

• Market share percentage

• Graphical user interface (GUI) & Command-line interface

• Network Services Support

• Other Companies’s products Support

• Configuration & Programmable

• Error Handling

• Security

• Support

• Documentation

• API’s ( Libraries that are included to support application’s modules )

• Mobility

For this comparison two server type Operating Systems are going to be judged. One of its own

category:

• Linux Fedora 12

• Windows Server 2008

• Linux Fedora 12

◦ Market share percentage

▪ Server revenue market share

• 13.8%

▪ Supercomputer operating system family share

• 88.6% the 14 fastest supercomputers run Linux

◦ Graphical user interface (GUI) & Command-line interface

▪ GUI

• A number of desktop environments are available, of which GNOME and KDE are

the most widely used, witch are fulled equipped with many graphic effects. Also

KDE hold its own Aero style like new windows.

▪ Command-Line Interface

• Linux is strongly integrated with the system console. The command line can be used

to recover the system if the graphics subsystem fails. As well as shells based on the

syntax of other programming languages, such as the C shell, and Perl Shell. Many

applications can be scripted through the system console,[26] there are a lot of small

and specialized utilities meant to work together and to integrate with other programs.

This is called the toolbox principle.

◦ Network Services Support

▪ Linux support all the common and wide knows protocols, plus others added from

members of its community. Also support 100% multi-user management and that’s why

its Unix based system.

◦ Other Companies’s products Support

▪ Recently a great movement of the most known companies, develop their product for

Linux based systems. Moreover a great variety of OpenSource project with great

similarities of the comercials. Unix kernel also has stored a great library of drivers

compatible with the most peripheral anyone can use.

◦ Configuration & Programmable

▪ Configuration

• The installation manager ( called “Anaconda” in Fedora distribution ) has recently

become so friendly and raised its usability. Also provides a boot loader that able to

recognize every pre-installed OS and provides the option of “Dual Boot”.

▪ Programmable

• Linux provides to user full control from its utilities and for those who is comfortable

with low level environments, Console will be their right-hand-extension.

◦ Error Handling

▪ As an “Open Source” & “Free Software” platform, Linux is been built from its

community, so no one is able to degree its stability. Thought Linux is characterized as a

very stable and good error handling OS.

◦ Security

▪ Linux is the one of the best platforms for a Security administrator. Everything is able to

be configured from its Console, and what raise its standards, Linux is virus-free. So the

only nightmare for a Administrator is his wrong configuration at the system.

◦ Support

▪ Fedora is distributed with the support of Red Hat corporation, so a phone support with

some fee is always available. But also, its Community is always available and have the
 will to help anyone finding a solution.

◦ Documentation

▪ Greatest Distributions of Linux, holds an enviable amount of documentation with a huge

“wiki” of keywords built from the community.

◦ API’s ( Libraries that are included to support application’s modules )

▪ The Kernel of Linux provides a great amount of API’s, ready to be imported in every

application. Thought for every “extra” ability some new packets should be downloaded

and install to developers system.

◦ Mobility

▪ Linux has the greatest mobility of every Operating system, and that’s due to its Unix-

like Kernel built in Assembly and C programming-language. Is able to be install in a

great amount of different systems, that’s what make Linux a great business solution and

a nice tool for research.

• Windows Server 2008

◦ Market share percentage

▪ Server revenue market share

• 37.3%

▪ Supercomputer operating system family share

• 1.0%

◦ Graphical user interface (GUI) & Command-line interface

▪ GUI

• As Windows 2008 Server is based its GUI to Windows Vista, offers a great

Navigation and maybe the best user-friendly desktop.

▪ Command-Line Interface

• As the newest Server Platform of Microsoft, Windows’s 2008 Power Shell is been

upgraded and finally Administrators can touch a very low level. That gives a nice

feeling of a great system control. Not mentioning the .NET libraries witch is the

diamond of Microsoft, ready to support every Service that Developers will to have.

◦ Network Services Support

▪ As mentioned, Windows 2008 is a Server Platform, so every Network Service such all

known protocols and user Multitasking is the based standards for this platform. Also

.NET libraries transform all Network stuff problem a “Walk at the Park”.

◦ Other Companies’s products Support

▪ It maybe a risk to be mentioned, but every company acts in Information Technology

market, supports Microsoft’s products.

◦ Configuration & Programmable

 ▪ Configuration

• User Friendly is the key phrase for this OS. Every installation and configuration can

be accomplish as moving the cursor as a conductor.

▪ Programmable

• The new power shell of Windows 2008 Server is a powerful tool able to read scripts

and act in every administrator’s will.

◦ Error Handling

▪ As the best platform of Microsoft, Windows 2008 is one the greatest stable version at

this family of Oss. Though the Nightmare of “blue screen” in every Microsoft’s product

tends to be their mascot. But this OS has eliminate most of the possibilities of crassing.

◦ Security

▪ Windows will be the enemy of Crackers society, so the Word Security is a peak subject

of Microsoft developers. But as every new platform of the same family (windows 7)

made security problems sound like an old funny-tail.

◦ Support

▪ Phone and web support of Microsoft really worth an award. Moreover the support in

Servers platforms of this company is in the highest rank on the list.

◦ Documentation

▪ The greatest amount of wiki and documents is stored in Microsoft's web site.

◦ API’s ( Libraries that are included to support application’s modules )

▪ “API amount” is synonym to “Leader” at the latest windows platforms. That’s

because .NET packets and Visual studio of Microsoft is the most used words of

Windows Developers.
◦ Mobility

▪ Unfortunately, this great platform is able to support just a couple of systems for a

business and research job. Fortunately these system holds the greatest Market Share.
 Conclusion

As “Open Source” idea is getting deeper roots into I.T.'s society, users must learn the whole

philosophy and become active members of the community, rather than become weed “sucking” spirit

for profitable purposes. And as in many developers mind, is strongly believed that “Free Software”

community will take a great competitive share on the market. And that's all due to Human's will off

freedom and growling windstorm.

 Appendix

1. A draft describing the

culture and how “Open

Source” and “Free

Software” society works.

Source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source

2. Some Open Source products that compete commercial products:

Open Source products Commercial – Close Source products

1. Gimp Photoshop

2. Blender 3D Studio Max

3. Linux Fedora Windows Server 2008

 References

Fedora Linux A Complete Guide to Red Hat's Community Distribution

By Chris Tyler
Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Learning Debian GNU/Linux By Bill McCarty

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Linux Bible 2009 Edition

Publisher: Wiley

Open Sources, First Edition By Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide By Jonathan Hassell

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
 Table of contents

Introduction

• What's “Open Source”

Part I: Main Body

• Why “Free” is not “Open”

Part II: Main Body

• Open Source Operating System VS Close source Commercial Operating System

◦ Linux Fedora 12

◦ Windows 2008 Server

Conclusion

• Appendix