BENEFITS OF USING FOSS
FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE'S
FOSS COMMUNITY – NSBM | #FOSSTARTER
RECAP …
• “Police raid unnamed corporate firm for software piracy “ – sundaytimes.lk
• “Lankan software piracy rate at 84% “ - dailymirror.lk
• “Microsoft Sri Lanka has launched the Genuine Software Initiative” – Microsoft.com
AS A DEVELOPING NATION …
• Legal issues with software ( Pirate Usages ) • Paying $119.99 ? What about Other Applications ?• Security, reliability and stability• Vendor Independence/ open standards• Localization
FOUR MAJOR FREEDOM PARTS
• Run• Study how program works• Redistribute copies• Modify / improvise
Story of Linux video
WHY USE FREE & OPEN SOURCE
• The availability of the source code.
• The right of code modification, improvement and redistribution.
• Large base of developers and users.
• Have an alternative.
• Free marketing and support for your project.
• Not tied to a single vendor• Big community to support• Better Security• Reliability & Stability
WHY USE FREE & OPEN SOURCE … 2
A LITTLE COMPARE ?
• FULL ACCESS Vs No ACCESS
• Licensing freedom vs. licensing restrictions
ADVANTAGES
• Strategic Benefits• Economic Benefits• Social Benefits• other Benefits
Strategic Benefitsa) Developing local capacity/industryb) Reducing imports/conserving foreign exchangec ) Enhancing national securityd) Reducing copyright infringementse) Enabling localization
- Microsoft Solution Software Cost
Software CostNorton Antivirus 2002 $2,498
MS Internet Information Server $0
MS Windows 2000 Advanced Server $19,995
MS Commerce Server $12,333
MS ISA Standard Server 2000 $1,499
MS SQL Server 2000 $4,999MS Exchange Standard Server 2000 $1,299
Windows XP Professional $14,950
MS Visual Studio 6.0 $2,237MS Office Standard $23,950Adobe Photoshop 6 $1,218Additional Client Access Licenses $2,010
Total $87,988
- FOSS Solution Software Cost
Software Cost
Linux Distribution (eq Red Hat 9.0) $80
Apache (Web server) $0
Squid (Proxy server) $0
PostgreSQL (Database) $0
iptables (Firewall) $0
Sendmail/Postfix (Mail servers) $0
KDevelop (IDE) $0
GIMP (Graphics) $0
Open Office (Productivity suite) $0
OSCommerce (e-Commerce suite) $0
Total $80