Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Open Source and Open Standards
The most fundamental level of conflict underlies any selection of stan-
dards or platforms, and in consolidating business units and technologies.
This argument divides technologists with a level of passion that borders on
religious hysteria, with proponents on both sides of the argument creating
huge bodies of data and propaganda machines spewing out reams of argu-
ments about the Only Way that is always best. At its simplest, this argu-
ment is over whether free open-source software (FOSS) is inherently better
than commercial software whose source code is not provided to end users.
Note:
The source code is the actual computer-language instructions used to
write a program in a language such as C, FORTRAN, Java, or Visual Basic.
With this code, developers can examine how the program works in detail
and can change parts to create their own unique version of the software.
Open Source
Open-source software proponents often identify the success of the LAMP
stack as a platform for architecture. A stack is simply a collection of applica-
tions or standards designed to work together, and LAMP stands for Linux
(an operating system), Apache (a Web server), MySql (a database applica-
tion), and a programming language such as Perl or PHP. This arena of
technology is generally able to move faster to embrace new types of tech-
nology than commercial suites can, and proponents note that thousands
of programmers are constantly adding new functionalities of all types.
Tip:
Even in f u lly integrated commercial l enterprises, FOSS rapid develop-
ment can be leveraged to test emerging technologies before buying into a
commercial product. As an example, the DotNetNuke open-source por-
tal is often used to evaluate the viability of a portal within commercial
Microsoft enterprises before implementing a full SharePoint Portal server.
Many useful tools and utilities exist within the open-source space, though
they are intended for use in commercial enterprises.
Not all open-source software is free; many commercial products oper-
ate within this space, including commercial versions of many elements of
