FREE CODE: Pros and Cons of Using Open Source

May 22, 2018

Alternatives to common licensed software

Open Source is everywhere

The use of open source software is an essential part of application development.

96% of analyzed software applications utilize

open source

The average app includes 147 unique open source

components

* According to the analysis done by Black Duck’s Center for Open Source Research and Innovation (COSRI) in 2017.

Pros of Using Open Source

★ Free to use★ Free to modify and improve★ Can be free to commercialize ★ Comparable to paid software ★ Accelerates software development ★ Lower hardware requirements in

many cases

Open Source for small businesses and start-ups

★ Reducing time to market★ Driving costs down★ Technological enablement for any business

Developer toolbox

Learning with Raspberry Pi

★ Training programming skills★ Community support and interactions★ Research tools

Raspberry Pi sold over 14 million boards

in five years

Cons of Using Open Source

❖ You are responsible for the installation & configuration❖ Little or no support / paid support❖ Comes with no guarantee / SLA❖ Bugs (one thing that is guaranteed)❖ Less functionality & Compatibility issues (LibreOffice vs MS Office)❖ Poorer UI/UX❖ Updates depend on popularity and community enthusiasm❖ Security & Reliability - research, do not just trust!❖ Cost: using SaaS may be cheaper than implementing open source

Open Source Licensing

Copyleft Licenses

★ Freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change & improve

★ Matter of liberty, not price: “free speech”, not “free beer”!

★ Viral: Derived work inherits the license!

Permissive Licenses

★ Minimal requirements on distribution

★ Attribution, disclaimers still required, no requirement to open the derived code

Richard Stallman, 1989

Distribution is the key

Open Source Licensing

Copyleft Licenses★ GNU General Public License (GPL)★ GNU Library or "Lesser" General Public

License (LGPL - weak copyleft)★ Eclipse Public License★ Mozilla Public License 2.0 (weak copyleft)★ Common Development and Distribution

License (weak copyleft)

Permissive Licenses★ Apache License 2.0★ MIT license★ BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" license★ BSD 2-Clause "Simplified" or "FreeBSD"

license

& others

Talk to your lawyer first!This is not a legal advice

Open Source Licensing

Open Source Licensing

Open Source License Compliance Cases★ Jacobson V. Katzer - (model train software - breach of contract or copyright infringement?) -

Jacobson wins - 2008

★ Versata V. Ameriprise + XimpleWare( XML parsing utility, GPLv2 Licensing, Ameriprise reverse engineered the code and found GPLv2) - 2015

★ Artifex V. Hancom (incorporating GPL-licensed Ghostscript, settlement) - 2017★ Automattic (Wordpress) V. Wix (GPLv2 text editor used & released under MIT) - 2016 ★ Christoph Hellwig V. VMware - 2015 (Linux Kernel, LGPLv2, dismissed)

★ CoKinetic Systems V. Panasonic Avionics - (unfair advantage, settlement in 2018)

Open Source Licensing

License conflicts are widespread★ Over 85% of applications contain components with

licenses out of compliance*★ 53% of applications have “unknown” licenses,

meaning no one has permission from the creator(s) of the software to use, modify, or share the software*

★ https://opensource.com/article/17/9/9-open-source-software-rules-startups

★ https://saperlaw.com

* According to the analysis done by Black Duck’s Center for Open Source Research and Innovation (COSRI) in 2017.

Why companies invest in open code?

★ Creating visibility & building audience★ Attracting the right employees to the company★ Promoting services★ Creating possibilities for third-party developers★ Saving money: code.gov

Rank Company Employees Contributed to GitHub in 2017

1 Microsoft 4,550

2 Google 2,267

3 Red Hat 2,027

4 IBM 1,813

5 Intel 1,314

6 Amazon 881

7 SAP 747

8 ThoughtWorks 739

9 Alibaba 694

10 GitHub 676

Why contributing to Open Source?

★ Portfolio (GitHub is the best business card for a programmer)★ Free resources to manage a product

★ Licensing obligations★ Keeping up with community updates

★ Non-profit Social Projects★ Passion!

Thank you!

Questions?