Open Source for Libraries

Open Source for Libraries

Nicole C. Engard
Vice President of Education
ByWater Solutions
nengard@bywatersolutions.com

Thursday, January 19, 12

Outline
• What
is
Open
Source?
• Products
for
your
Library
• Q&A
Throughout


What isn’t Open Source?
Common
Open
Source
FUD
(Fear,
Uncertainty
&
Doubt)

• “Isn’t
that
insecure?”

• “I
don’t
want
to
share
my
data!”

• “How
can
it
be
any
good
if
it’s
free?”

• “We
don’t
have
the
staﬀ
to
handle

open
source.”

Comic: Author: Unknown | Year: Unknown | Source: Unknown


What is Open Source?
Open
source
soLware
is
soLware
that
users
have
the
ability
to

run,
distribute,
study
and
modify
for
any
purpose.

Open
source
is
a
collaboraMve
soLware-‐development

method
that
harnesses
the
power
of
peer
review
and

transparency
of
process
to
develop
code
that
is
freely

accessible.1

Open
source
draws
on
an
ecosystem
of
thousands
of

developers
and
customers
all
over
the
world
to
drive

innovaMon.2

1,2
hQp://connect.educause.edu/display/47941


What is Free Software?
• OLen
you
will
hear
Free
&
Open
Source

SoLware
(F/OSS)
in
conjuncMon.

• The
Free
SoLware
DefiniMon

(hQp://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-‐sw.html)

is
similar
to,
but
not
idenMcal
to
the
Open

Source
DefiniMon
(hQp://www.opensource.org/docs/
definiMon.php)

• Free
does
not
mean
free
of
cost
-‐
it

means
Free
as
in
Freedom


4 Freedoms of Free Software
• You
need
all
four
of
these
freedoms
to
have
free

soLware

• Freedom
of
use
• Freedom
to
copy
• Freedom
to
modify
• Freedom
to
contribute

hQp://www.web2learning.net/archives/4263


Sharing of ideas
"If
you
have
an
apple
and
I
have
an
apple
and

we
exchange
apples,
then
you
and
I
will
sMll

each
have
one
apple.
But
if
you
have
an
idea

and
I
have
an
idea
and
we
exchange
these

ideas,
then
each
of
us
will
have
two
ideas."
AQributed
to
Bernard
Shaw
http://ftacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1


The Cathedral & The Bazaar
The
Cathedral
The
Bazaar

(proprietary
soAware) (open
source
soAware)

• Development
occurs
• Code
developed
over

behind
walls
the
Internet
with

• Source
code
is
several
others
in

usually
not
provided
public
view
-‐
kept
locked
up • Source
code
open
to

• Corporate
hierarchy all
users
• “Given
enough

hQp://www.catb.org/~esr/wriMngs/cathedral-‐bazaar/cathedral-‐bazaar/
eyeballs,
all
bugs
are

shallow”


Open Source Governance
What kind of quality control is there?

•Most open source projects have a release manager or a manager of some
sort who reviews the code and approves it before adding it to the final
release

What is the role of the community?

•The community looks out for the best interests of the software. They work
as the governing body behind all decisions related to the software. The
community decides what features to develop next and who the managers
are.


Open Source Community
• Open
source
is
about
more
than
free
soLware
• Community
is
crucial
to
the
growth
of
open
source
• Without
shared
knowledge
and
collaboraMon
the
project
will
not

grow
• “CriMquing
the
community
is
a
right
reserved
for
those
who
have

proved
themselves
by
making
valuable
contribuMons”1
• People
who
use
open
source
can
collaborate
and
contribute
in
many

ways
with
the
community
• Write
code
• Write
documentaMon
• Debug
• Educate
others
1. Tapscott, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. “Embracing open source culture and
strategy.” In Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything, 82-83.
Expanded Edition. New York, NY: Penguin USA, 2008. www.wikinomics.com/book/.


Open Source Crowdsourcing
“Crowdsourcing
has
it
genesis
in
the
open
source
movement
in

soLware.
The
development
of
the
Linux
operaMng
system
proved
that

a
community
of
like-‐minded
peers
was
capable
of
creaMng
a
beQer

product
than
a
corporate
behemoth
like
MicrosoL.

Open
source

revealed
a
fundamental
truth
about
humans
that
had
gone
largely

unnoMced
unMl
the
connecMvely
of
the
Internet
brought
it
into
high

relief:
labor
can
oLen
be
organized
more
efficiently
in
the
context
of

a
community
than
it
can
in
the
context
of
the
corporaMon.

The
best

person
to
do
a
job
is
the
one
who
most
wants
to
do
that
job;
and
the

best
people
to
evaluate
their
performance
are
their
friends
and
peers

who,
by
the
way,
will
enthusiasMcally
pitch
in
to
improve
the
final

product,
simply
for
the
sheer
pleasure
of
helping
one
another
and

creaMng
something
beauMful
from
which
they
all
will
benefit.”

Howe, J. (2008). Crowdsourcing: Why the power of the crowd is driving
the future of business. New York: Crown Business. p.8


Who’s Using Open Source?

•Government
Agencies •Schools
(K-‐colleges)
•All
Kinds
of
Businesses •Librarians


Open Source in Business
2007
Survey
Results

http://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203

Open Source in Business
• In
2010
a
survey
of
300
large
organizaMons
in
both
the
private
and
public

sector
found:
• 50%
are
fully
commiQed
to
open
source
in
their
business

• 28%
say
they
are
experimenMng
with
open
source
and
keeping
an
open

mind
to
using
it
• 38%
expecMng
to
migrate
mission-‐criMcal
soLware
to
open
source
in
next

12
months
• The
cost
was
no
longer
viewed
as
the
key
benefit,
instead:
• 76%
cited
quality
as
a
key
benefit
of
open
source
• 70%
cited
improved
reliability
• 69%
said
beQer
security/bug
fixing

hQp://newsroom.accenture.com/
arMcle_display.cfm?arMcle_id=5045


Making money on open source
• “IBM
not
only
accepted
open
source
soLware
products
and
processes
but
also

its
philosophy,
which
is
to
spur
quality
and
fast
growth
rather
than
just
proﬁts

based
on
proprietary
ownership
of
intellectual
property.”

• “Giving
up
so
much
control
is
unconvenMonal
to
say
the
least,
but
the
rewards

for
doing
so
have
been
handsome.

IBM
spends
about
$100
million
per
year

on
Linux
development.

If
the
Linux
community
puts
in
$1
billion
of
eﬀort,
and

even
half
of
that
is
useful
to
IBM
customers,
the
company
gets
$500
million
of

soLware
development
for
an
investment
of
$100
million.”

TapscoQ,
Don,
and
Anthony
D.
Williams.
“Joining
Linux.”
In

Wikinomics:
How
mass
collaboraMon
changes
everything,

79-‐82.
Expanded
EdiMon.
New
York,
NY:
Penguin
USA,
2008.

hQp://www.wikinomics.com/book/.


Open Source On the Web
Total
AcMve
Sites:
6/2000
to
1/2012

hQp://news.netcraL.com/archives/2012/01/03/january-‐2012-‐web-‐server-‐survey.html


Why so Popular?
•Reliability
through
Peer
Review
•Freedom
to
Innovate
•No
Vendor
Lock-‐in
•User-‐centric
Development
•CollaboraMve
Environment
•Zero
License
Fees


Why Should Libraries
Care?


Open Source & Libraries
Libraries
and
Open
Source
Both...

• Believe
that
informaMon
should
be
freely
accessible
to
everyone
• Give
away
stuﬀ
• Beneﬁt
from
the
generosity
of
others
• Are
about
communiMes
• Make
the
world
a
beQer
place

-‐-‐
Horton,
G.
hQp://Mnyurl.com/3jvumn


Libraries
and
Open
Source
make

the
perfect
pair

[Librarians]
"are
almost
ethically

required
to
use
and
develop
open

source
soLware."

Crawford,
R.
S.
hQp://www.lugod.org/
presentaMons/oss4lib.pdf

hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/cavort/
151687944/


Libraries
and
Open
Source
make
the
perfect
pair

“Libraries
are
commiQed
to
the
noMon
of
the
‘commons.’
Libraries
are
in

fact
one
of
the
last
best
hopes
for
the
preservaMon
of
the
intellectual

commons.
That
value
system
should
extend
to
the
intellectual
work
we

do
on
our
access
systems.
We
should
reclaim
the
domain
of
library

technology
from
the
commercial
and
proprietary
realms
and
actualize
is

as
part
of
our
vision
of
the
commons.

...

We
are
also
congenital
collaborators.
Can
you
think
of
any
other
group
of

insMtuMons
that
share
their
stuﬀ
the
way
we
do
through
ILL?

-‐-‐
Lucia,
J.


2007
Survey
Results

hQp://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203


Common
quesMons
libraries
have:

• Is
there
support?
Do
I
have
to
know

how
to
program?
• Do
I
have
to
skimp
on
features?
• Isn’t
Open
Source
risky?
• Can
I
do
it
myself?


Support for Open Source
Is
there
support? Do
I
have
to
know
how
to
program?

• ByWater
SoluMons • Local
Students
• BibLibre • Freelance
Developers
• Equinox
• YourLibrarySite
• And
more!


Do I have to skimp
on features?
• Open
Source
developers
follow
the

rule
of
“Release
early
and
release

oLen”

• Users
vote
with
their
dollars
and
Mme

• Freedom
to
develop
on
your
own

• Developers
love
their
products
hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/programwitch/
2505184887/


Isn’t Open Source Risky?
• Casey
Coleman,
chief
informaMon
officer
for
the
• US
Department
of
Defense
memo

encourages
the
use
of
open
source
with

GSA
(U.S.
General
Services
AdministraMon),
said

many
reasons
“including
cost
advantages,

in
a
speech
...
that
the
GSA
heavily
relies
on

reduced
risk
of
vendor
lock-‐in,
beQer

open
source
to
drive
down
costs,
increase

security,
and
increased
flexibility.
It
says

flexibility
of
IT
dollars,
and
reduce
risk.
‘You
get

that
the
posiMve
aspects
of
open
source

much
more
transparency
and
interoperability,

soLware
should
be
given
consideraMon

and
that
reduces
your
risk,’
she
said.
during
procurement
research.
• hQp://news.cnet.com/
8301-‐13505_3-‐9921115-‐16.html • hQp://arstechnica.com/open-‐source/news/
2009/10/dod-‐military-‐needs-‐to-‐think-‐harder-‐
about-‐using-‐open-‐source.ars


Isn’t Open Source Risky?
For
a
total
284
days
in
2006
(or
more
than
nine
months
out
of
the
year),
exploit
code
for
known,

unpatched
criMcal
flaws
in
pre-‐IE7
versions
of
the
browser
was
publicly
available
on
the
Internet.

Likewise,
there
were
at
least
98
days
last
year
in
which
no
soLware
fixes
from
MicrosoL
were

available
to
fix
IE
flaws
that
criminals
were
acMvely
using
to
steal
personal
and
financial
data
from

users.

In
a
total
of
ten
cases
last
year,
instrucMons
detailing
how
to
leverage
"criMcal"
vulnerabiliMes
in
IE

were
published
online
before
MicrosoL
had
a
patch
to
fix
them.

In
contrast,
Internet
Explorer's
closest
compeMtor
in
terms
of
market
share
-‐-‐
Mozilla's
Firefox

browser
-‐-‐
experienced
a
single
period
lasMng
just
nine
days
last
year
in
which
exploit
code
for
a
serious
security
hole
was
posted

online
before
Mozilla
shipped
a
patch
to
remedy
the
problem.

hQp://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/01/
internet_explorer_unsafe_for_2.html


Risk of Proprietary Software
• “Closed-‐source
efforts
oLen
suffer
from
flaws

and
problems
which
the
original
development

team
never
anMcipated.

Lack
of
inspecMon
of

the
code
by
other
programmers
can
mean
that

inappropriate
design
constraints
and
other

errors
might
not
be
discovered
unMl
the
code
is

already
in
use.”
Pavlicek,
Russell.
Embracing

insanity
:
open
source
soLware

development.
Indianapolis

IN:

SAMS,
2000.
p.
33.


Software is Risky!
All
soLware
has
risks,
you
need
to
evaluate
open
source
the
same
way
you
do

proprietary
systems.

Several
Levels
of
Risk
to
consider:

• SoLware
security
issues
• Open
source
is
just
as
secure
if
not
more
secure
than
proprietary
systems

because
of
its
transparency
• Evaluate
open
source
soLware
no
diﬀerently
than
you
do
other
soLware!
• Company
mergers
and
acquisiMons
• Because
you
own
the
code
to
your
system
you
are
not
Med
to
one
support

source
and
will
never
be
leL
without
support


Can I do it Myself?
• Absolutely,
with
the
right
in-‐house
skills
• Linux
server
management
• Web
programming
• Perl
/
PHP
/
MySQL
• Systems
knowledge


Some Numbers


When
asked
what
Open
Source
apps
they
use
at
work,
977

librarians
and
library
workers
answered
as
follows

hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐
results

When
asked
why
they
chose
and
open
source
app,
977

librarians
and
library
workers
answered
as
follows

hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐
results


Now What?


Play Time
• Start
downloading
and

installing
applicaMons

that
will
make
things

more
efficient
(and

possibly
affordable)
for

you.
hQp://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/
3253133986/


Portable Play
•Can’t
install
soLware
on
your
work

computer?
•Try
PortableApps:
•Install
on
your
USB
drive
and
use

many
of
these
open
source

applicaMons
without
installing
to
the

hard
drive

hQp://portableapps.com


Local Play
• Don’t
have
access
to
a
web
server?
• Try
BitNami:
• Free,
easy
to
setup
wikis,
blogs,

forums
and
many
other
web

applicaMons
that
you
can
run

locally
or
in
the
cloud.
BitNami

makes
deploying
server
soLware
a

simple
and
enjoyable
process.

hQp://bitnami.org/


Additional Links
•Open Source Living
http://osliving.com

•OSS Watch, open source software advisory service:
http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk

•Open Source as Alternative
http://www.osalt.com

•Nicole’s Delicious bookmarks:
http://delicious.com/nengard/opensource


OSS & Libraries Links
• Open
Source
SoLware
in
Libraries
hQp://infomoMons.com/musings/ossnlibraries/

• Open
Source
SoLware
and
Libraries
Bibliography
zotero.org/groups/
freelibre_and_open_source_soLware_and_libraries_bibliography

• PracMcal
Open
Source
SoLware
for
Libraries
hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/blog
• Open
Network
Libraries

hQp://onl.org.nz

• FOSS4Lib
hQp://foss4lib.org


Open Source Blogs
• The
Open
Road
• New
York
Times
-‐
Open
hQp://www.cnet.com/openroad/
hQp://open.nyMmes.com

• Open
Ended
from
Ars
Technica
• OpenSource.com
hQp://arstechnica.com/open-‐source
hQp://opensource.com

• The
H
Open
Source
• Open
Source
at
DatamaMon
hQp://www.h-‐online.com/open/

itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/

• ZDNet
Open
Source
hQp://blogs.zdnet.com/open-‐source


Online Reading List
• Open
Source:
Narrowing
the
Divides
between
EducaMon,
Business,
and
Community
hQp://connect.educause.edu/display/47941
• The
concepts
of
Free
SoLware
&
Open
Standards:
IntroducMon
to
Free
SoLware

hQp://Lacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1

• We
Love
Open
Source
SoLware.
No,
You
Can’t
Have
Our
Code
hQp://journal.code4lib.org/arMcles/527

• Open
Source
SoLware
Tools
And
Directories:
Where
To
Find
Them,
How
To
Evaluate
Them
hQp://www.masternewmedia.org/open-‐source-‐soLware-‐tools-‐and-‐directories-‐where-‐to-‐ﬁnd-‐them-‐
how-‐to-‐evaluate-‐them/
• Open
Source
Security
Bibliography
hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecMon/QKWPIXK9

• Nicole’s
Zotero
Library
hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecMon/1796131


Print Reading List
• Prac%cal
Open
Source
So/ware
in
Libraries
by
Nicole
C.
Engard

• The
Cathedral
and
the
Bazaar:
Musings
on
Linux
and
Open
Source
by
an
Accidental

Revolu%onary
by
Eric
S.
Raymond

• Embracing
Insanity:
Open
Source
So/ware
Development
by
Russell
Pavlicek

• The
success
of
open
source
by
Steve
Weber

• The
open
source
alterna%ve:
Understanding
risks
and
leveraging
opportuni%es
by

Heather
J.
Meeker

• Open
Sources
2.0:
The
Con%nuing
Evolu%on
by
Chris
DiBona,
Mark
Stone,
and
Danese

Cooper


Thank You!

Nicole C. Engard
Vice President of Education
ByWater Solutions
nengard@bywatersolutions.com


Open Source for Libraries

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