Free and Open Source Software
For Nonprofits: Tools and Tips

Gregory HellerTwitter: @gregoryhellergregory@civicactions.com

What is Free Software

Free software is a matter of liberty, not price.

Think of free as in free speech, not free as in free beer.

What is Free Software

Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer.Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it means that the program's users have the four essential freedoms:The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).

The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).

The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.Excerpted from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

What Is Open Source

Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.

Source: http://www.opensource.org/

Why does it matter?

Access to the source code

Ability to modify the source code

No licensing fees

No vendor lock-in

Software Licensing

No Licensing FEE does not mean No LicenseGPL v2 & GPL v3

Affero AGP

BSD

Apache License

Creative Commons

This probably doesn't matter much to you unless you are a developer.

What doesn't it mean?

NO COSTS

Flickr:bstabler Brad Stabler

Not All Wine and Roses

Flickr:ragingferret

Rent Vs. Own

Like renting a house, instead of owning, there are trade-offs.You don't have to pay to replace the roof, but then again, you might not be able to paint the walls or remodel the kitchen.

So What Does It Cost?

You don't pay for licensing

But you may pay for:Hosting

Support

Training

Community vs Company

Free & Open Source software is maintained by communities of developers. Sometimes they are paid by a company to do so, in collaboration with others who are not. Sometimes many companies pay different people to maintain different aspects of the software.

Where Do You Use FOSS

Desktop

LAN/Server/Intranet

Web Servers

Web Applications

Embedded software on Devices

Desktop: You're Already Using It

Desktop Software
You Could Be Using

GIMP

KompoZer

Ditch Windows or OSX

Linux on the desktop with:

Why Linux for your OS?

Free

Secure

Better performance on older hardware

LAN/Server/Intranet

File Servers

Routers

Telephony & Telepresence

Mobile Devices

Phones, Tablets, eReaders

Web Server Operating System

Web Applications

Community vs Company

Thousands of developersHundreds of companiesMillions of Websites=Resilience

Web Services

Resources

The Open Source Initiativehttp://opensource.org

The Free Software Foundationhttp://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://SourceForge.net

http://civicactions.com/bloggregory@civicactions.com