Software > Open Source

No more 'Open source'

By Ed Downs, National Computing Centre

Ed Downs explains how identifying the different categories of open source software can help to understand their respective roles and clarify procurement decisions.

There's no such thing as 'open source'. Open source is not a noun, it's not a thing. It describes a type of software and as we all know there are lots of types of software.
Only the most superficial discussions refer to software in general. To have a useful dialogue you need to be more specific, operating systems are not the same as bespoke applications; desktop packages are a world away from embedded control systems. Using the term 'open source' to describe software does provide some information, but I believe that we need to move beyond this term to help everyone understand the role open source software can play in their business.

Categories can be useful in this respect. Dividing open source software between infrastructure, desktop and application is helpful.

Infrastructure OSS

The case for infrastructure OSS is based on its quality as a product, its performance and security features, as well as cost. There are a standard set of requirements to be met, which in the main do not differ between organisations. Procurement decisions focus on technical aspects of the products. If an organisation is implementing a web server, a firewall or selecting an operating system for some back-end server, relatively few people will need to know about it.

Desktop OSS

The requirements for desktop OSS are again reasonably standard across organisations. However, in contrast to infrastructure, any deployment will have an impact on a great many users. The software must work. It needs to interface with other products and provide security. However, for the desktop, 'ease of use' is paramount. The importance of user training and acceptability is a major issue, in proportion to the very large number of users. Any decision to deploy open office will require a careful consideration of staff work patterns and skills. The relevant facilities must work well and the easier it is for existing staff to learn to use them, the more likely a case for conversion could be made.

OSS applications

Open source applications are different again; most importantly the software needs to match the differing organisational business practices. Of course, an application with an open source licence enables all users to modify the code themselves. Compare this with bespoke development. Open source offers organisations with specific requirements a chance to extend a standard package to meet their needs, and potentially offer their new source code back to others. The code can fork to create different versions for different groups of organisations. A CRM for district councils or an accounts package for the voluntary sector. Access to source code also gives power to any user group. If the company or project producing the package does not want to develop certain features for whatever reason, a group of users can share costs and get the job done.

Support issues

When it comes to the support that is needed there are clear differences between the categories. Deploying infrastructure OSS requires some staff to have technical training and this needs to be available. In the case of Linux there are many courses as well as certification standards. When problems arise, staff are usually comfortable using web based resources to identify solutions.

Deploying desktop OSS will require some technical skill and hence support services similar to infrastructure OSS. However the emphasis is upon users and there is a need to access good training services. As with infrastructure, these are standard products and so the training can be standardised, although it is often best delivered locally.

Any application software is characterised by its ability to respond to local needs and typically face to face support is required. In the current market place this means support is provided by relatively small software companies through a service based business model. The key differences between support for standard products and business applications are reflected in the emergence of two networks of support organisations. 'Open Forum Europe' primarily represents major vendors with standard products for infrastructure and the desktop. Meanwhile the 'Open Source Consortium' is a federation of small and medium sized software service companies using open source products with their clients.

All this is not to say that the term open source does not have some value. All open source software shares some things in common; most obviously access to the source code and the avoidance of lock in. However I believe that the general term can hide things and make debate difficult. A statement such as 'open source requires extensive user training' clearly only applies when there are many users interacting with the product, and not when dealing with open source infrastructure. This may suit some purposes but does not help us to see if and how open source software has a role in making effective use of IT in the UK.

In summary, identifying different categories of open source software can help to clarify discussion and procurement decisions. OSS for infrastructure is well advanced and being supported by most major vendors. OSS for the desktop is a large market affecting many users and is being pursued by Sun amongst others. OSS applications are many and varied, but offer opportunities for users to directly control the software development.