LSC555 IS Webliography by Michelle Miller

LSC 555 Information Systems Webliography: Open Source Software
by
Michelle Miller

Definitions and History
- Computer Security Dictionary: Open Source Software
  This definition of open source software lists the nine principles given by the Open Source Initiative and expands upon them. This gives an OSS user a good idea of what to expect from the software and what can be done with the software. This definition also lists some of the advantages of OSS, but does not give any disadvantages.
- What is Open Source?
  This is a long, detailed definition of open source software. It compares and contrasts open source and proprietary software. This definition may be too involved for anyone who is coming to open source software for the first time and is not familiar with this type of software.
- The Origins and Future of Open Source Software
  This is a paper about the history of OSS with a little speculation about how OSS may be used in the future. The author gives a good history of OSS focusing mostly on the formation of the Internet and the beginning of UNIX. The focus of the section on the future of OSS is mostly focused on the Microsoft monopoly and how to end it instead of giving a look at how people, businesses, and organizations might be able to utilize OSS.
- A Brief History of the Free/Open Source Software Movement
  This site gives the reader an idea of how the open source software movement has evolved from its beginnings in the 1970s to the present. There is a helpful bibliography after the short history is presented. This site focuses more on the more recent developments than the earlier aspects of the movement.
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Groups
- Nonprofit Open Source Initiative
  The Open Source Initiative is a group that promotes the use of open source software. There is a lot of information on this site about the group and the various projects on which it is working. There are not any links to any of the more popular OSS programs; a reader would have to search for these elsewhere.
- Free Software Foundation
  This is the web site of the Free Software Foundation, which promotes free software for users. The site is particularly interested in promoting the GNU operating system and there is a lot of information about this program. There is a lot of information on this site, but much of it is hidden and a reader would have to click through links in order to find needed information.
- License to Choose: Public Libraries and Open Source Software
  This web site is a source for a grassroots organization promoting OSS integrated library systems for public libraries. There are some good reasons for switching included along with some online examples of libraries who use OSS software. However, this site emphasizes the advantages of OSS and librarians may not quite understand the disadvantages of OSS just from reading this site.
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Advantages and Disadvantages
- The Strengths and Weaknesses of Open Source Software – And its Role in the Security Model
  This paper gives a brief history of open source software and lays out some of the pros and cons of using OSS. This is a fairly balanced assessment on what the advantages and disadvantages of OSS are. The author goes into the future of both OSS and proprietary software, but anyone looking for in-depth analysis on this point would need to look at other sources as well.
- Why Commercial Software Makes No Sense
  This is a paper explaining the downsides of proprietary software. The author lists the pros of open source software and the cons of proprietary software. The author does not go into the cons of open source software or the pros of proprietary software.
- Why Open Source Software/Free Software (OSS/FS)? Look at the numbers!
  This is a paper advocating the use of open source or free software whenever possible. Quantitative data has been collected to show that OSS/FS software can be as effective as proprietary software. This paper’s study may be biased towards OSS/FS, so results should be compared to other studies.
- Advantages of Open Source Software
  This site gives the advantages of using open source software. These are some very good reasons for switching to OSS or using OSS in the first place. None of the disadvantages of OSS are listed.
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Use Studies
- Open Source Software (OSS) Within Organization: Critical Factors for Consulting
  This is a paper about e-business and organizations may want to consider using open source software as a cost-saving initiative. The author outlines how a consultant can help businesses and organizations decide whether or not to use OSS instead of proprietary software. The paper is geared primarily towards businesses who are trying to make a profit, so nonprofit organizations may not find as much of the advice helpful.
- Defining Open Source Software Project Success
  This is a paper that gives measures by which an organization can evaluate its open source software and determine if it is satisfactory. This paper could be very helpful for organizations who are unsure about if OSS has been an improvement over proprietary software. Further research about which factors are most important in consideration would be helpful.
- Open Source Software: Case Studies Examining Its Use
  This is a paper that details how several businesses and governments have implemented open source software and gives ideas about factors influenced the decision to switch to OSS and what factors influence the decision to keep OSS. There are many relevant observations about OSS in this paper and the author gives a lot of information about each case. Nonprofit groups are not included in this study, so it is not clear if these kinds of groups could expect the same results.
- Open Source: Case Studies
  This site has links to a number of individual case studies of governments and schools using open source software. There are a number of studies involving Africa and how OSS can be used in developing countries. Some of this information may not be helpful in evaluating whether OSS should be used in organizations in the United States.
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OSS and Libraries
- Open Source Software and Libraries Bibliography
  This site contains over 200 citations for literature related to libraries and open sources software. The site is a great source for someone looking for a comprehensive list of relevant journal articles. There are a few articles with links to online versions, however, the compiler could have included more links since publications like Library Journal and the ARL newsletters are available online.
- Open Source Goes Mainstream
  This is a Library Journal article about open source software for libraries. The article gives a list of available open source integrated library systems with short descriptions and links to their web sites. The descriptions do not include the negative points the systems may have, they are merely short, positive blurbs.
- The Open Source Option
  This a Library Journal article that gives advice tailored to librarians about using open source software in libraries. The author gives the pros and cons associated with the OSS option. OSS programs are listed with descriptions, but the author does not let librarians know whether the program works well.
- Open Source Software in Libraries: A Workshop
  This is a paper geared towards librarians that describes open source software and what kinds of programs are available for libraries. There are instructions for installing and running various OSS. Some of the details of this paper may be too technical for someone with little or no computer experience.
- Open Source Software in Libraries
  This paper gives reasons that librarianship and open source software are similar. It also gives an example of an OSS library project (MyLibrary@NCState) and comments about how the library community should begin to use more OSS. This paper points out areas that need more study and consideration, but does not give a framework for doing so.
- The Case for Open Source Software in the Library Market
  This is a paper calling for libraries to start using open source software instead of proprietary software. The author explains why proprietary programs have not been fully meeting libraries’ needs and why open source software could meet these needs. There is no exploration of the difficulties of switching over and how lengthy implementation could be.
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Examples
- The Linux Homepage at Linux Online
  This is the web site for the open source software operating system called Linux. There are downloads of Linux on this site plus FAQs about Linux and user forums where Linux users can communicate with each other. There is also information about Linux-related products and events. This is a very informative site and has no apparent weaknesses.
- Mozilla
  This is the web site for the free browser Mozilla. There are free downloads of Mozilla products and a page to help users solve problems. The page does not offer much description of each product, so the user would have to download the program to get a good idea of what it can do.
- Koha
  This is the web site for Koha, an open source integrated library system. All of the information a librarian would need to download and implement this software is on this site. Unfortunately, this program and web site can be unreliable.
- iVia Open Source Virtual Library System
  This site contains a description of iVia, an open source virtual library system. There are many helpful color illustrations of the program included in the articles. The reader must search for a link to the site that has the software available to download; it is at the bottom of the page in the “Notes and References” section.
- MyLibrary@NCState
  This is the site for North Carolina State’s MyLibrary@NCState. This site allows a user to customize his or her interface with NC State’s library system. Anyone not affiliated with the university will have to make a “Guest Access” account to try this program.
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Resources
- Open Source Directory
  This web site provides a number of resources for people interested in open source software. There are interviews and articles about OSS and folders that have lots of OSS programs arranges by type. It would be nice if this site had some links to places where people could get help with OSS.
- O’Reilly
  This is a web resource for people interested in OSS and computer programming in general. O’Reilly publishes books for people who want to learn about programming and how to use certain OSS (like Linux). There is a lot of information here that is not related strictly to OSS, but the information on OSS is worth locating.
- Darwin
  This is a web site with OSS resources for Apple computers. There are downloads, FAQs, and many other useful links for Apple users. This web site will not be very helpful for people using a PC platform.
- Open Source Systems for Libraries
  This is a resource page for libraries using open source software. There are news updates and articles written specifically about using OSS in a library environment. There are some links to OSS programs, but they are scattered around the site.
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