OpenSourceSoftware

Presentationto SouthCentralLibrarySystemBoard August11,2008 ByTomZillner

OpenSourceSoftware Open Source Software

Verymuchinvogueinthelibraryworld p becauseofrecentdevelopments
Discontinuationofsystems Consolidation

OpenSourceSoftware Open Source Software

Manymisconceptionssurroundopensource software,themostsignificantbeing: software the most significant being:
Misconception:OpenSourceSoftwareisfree. T h O Truth:Opensourcesoftwareisoften,butnot f i f b always,totallyfreeofacquisitioncosts
Traverse

Eventhoughitisfree,therearehiddencosts thatmayemerge. that may emerge

3

WhatisOpenSourceSoftware(OSS)? What is Open Source Software (OSS)?

Software is considered open source if it meets Softwareisconsideredopensourceifitmeets tenconditionsorcriteria.Amongthem:
The software can be freely given away or sold Thesoftwarecanbefreelygivenawayorsold. Thesourcecode mustbeincludedorfreely obtainable. obtainable Redistributionofmodificationsmustbeallowed.

Whatis sourcecode ? What is source code?

Computer software includes the kinds of Computersoftwareincludesthekindsof computerprogramsthatrunonindividual computersoronservers,andeverysizeof computers or on servers and every size of computerinbetween. When a piece of software is developed a Whenapieceofsoftwareisdeveloped,a programmerwritesitinahumanreadable language.Thesoftwareinthisformiscalled language The software in this form is called sourcecode.
5

Whatis sourcecode ? What is source code?

Most software is distributed in a form Mostsoftwareisdistributedinaform computerscanunderstand,sometimes calledobjectcode,andnosourcecodeis provided.Thisiscalledproprietarysoftware. Ifnosourcecodeisprovided,thesoftware cannotbemodifiedbytheuser. Softwareisoftenconsideredatradesecretby itsdevelopers,inordertoprotectitfrom illegalcopying(whichdecreasesincome).
6

ContrastThisWithOpenSource Contrast This With Open Source

Sourcecodeisprovided. So OSS can be modified and maintained by So,OSScanbemodifiedandmaintainedby theuser. OSS is never a trade secret because the OSSisneveratradesecret,becausethe sourcecodeisneversecret,bydefinition.

Justtocomplicatethings: Just to complicate things: OpenSourcevs.FreeSoftware

TheFreeSoftwareMovement,initiatedby RichardStallman
Sincefreesoftwaremaybefreelyredistributed,its y y , acquisitionisgenerallyavailableatnocost.
Freeasinfreedom Freeasinbeer

WhyshouldIcare? Why should I care?

OSS is often very useful. OSSisoftenveryuseful. IncludestheLinuxoperatingsystem,whichis theoperatingsystemformillionsofcomputers the operating system for millions of computers worldwide Also includes the apache web server, also Alsoincludestheapachewebserver,also foundworldwide Perhaps most importantly for libraries, there Perhapsmostimportantlyforlibraries,there arenowopensourceversionsofintegrated librarysystems(ILSs).
9

OSSforLibraries OSS for Libraries

Some open source ILSs have all of the features SomeopensourceILSshaveallofthefeatures ofILSsfromcommercialvendors. Open source ILSs (like other OSS) are OpensourceILSs(likeotherOSS)are extensible.
C Commercialvendorsmaynotimplementfeatures i l d ti l tf t requestedbyusers.

If th f Iftheyrefree,whynotuseOSSILSs? h t OSS ILS ?

10

WhyNotUseOpenSourceILSs? Why Not Use Open Source ILSs?

Y YoumaybehappywithyourcurrentILS. b h ith t ILS Youmaybehappywithtechsupportfrom yourvendor. Yourvendormaybewillingtoprovidesource escrow. Staffing issues Staffingissues Hardware
11

YouarehappywithcurrentILS You are happy with current ILS

Thisisaperfectlygoodreasontostaywithyour vendor. vendor However,youmaywanttoconductareview processtodeterminewhatfeaturesyouneed andwhichsystemsmeetthesespecifications.

12

Youmaybehappywithvendor techsupport
Anothergoodreasontostaywithyourvendor. However,techsupportforopensourceILSsis , pp p obtainable.

13

SourceEscrow Source Escrow

Insures that the ILS source code will be InsuresthattheILSsourcecodewillbe availabletoyouundercertainconditions,e.g., thevendorgoesoutofbusiness. the vendor goes out of business Wi h Withopensourcesoftwarethisisnotanissue. f hi i i

14

Staffing
Using an open source ILS will not reduce your UsinganopensourceILSwillnotreduceyour staffingneeds
System administrator Systemadministrator Hardwaresupport Possibly a programmer Possibly,aprogrammer (Althoughthesefunctionsmaybefilledbyfewer than3people) than 3 people)

15

Hardware
UsinganopensourceILSwillprobablynot decreaseyourhardwarerequirements.

16

Free

Opensourcesoftware,isdefinitelyfreeinterms Open source software is definitely free in terms offreedom,notbeer,becauseofcostsbeyond itsacquisition,andsometimesanacquisition its acquisition and sometimes an acquisition costaswell.

17

WhyUseanOpenSourceILS? Why Use an Open Source ILS?

Source code is easily available Sourcecodeiseasilyavailable. Acquisition costisfree(asinbeer). Thereisoftenacadreofvolunteer h i f d f l programmerstofixbugsandaddfeatures. Therearecompaniesthatsupportopen sourceILSs. Ongoingcostsmaybenomore,and p potentiallyfarless,thanthoseforproprietary y , p p y software.
18

ACaveat A Caveat
If you switch ILSs (whether to another IfyouswitchILSs(whethertoanother proprietarysystemortoopensource)there willbe[possiblysubstantial]costs will be [possibly substantial] costs
Datamigration Hardware setup Hardwaresetup Softwareconfigurationandoptionsetup

19

TheTwoBestKnownOpenSource ILSs

Koha Evergreen g

20

Koha
Koha includes modules for circulation Kohaincludesmodulesforcirculation, cataloging,acquisitions,serials,reserves, patronmanagement,branchrelationships, patron management branch relationships andmore. There is a mix of public libraries and academic Thereisamixofpubliclibrariesandacademic librariesusingKoha. Fi FirstversionofKohadevelopedforapublic i fK h d l df bli libraryinNewZealandandreleasedin1999.
21

Evergreen
Evergreen was built from the ground up as a Evergreenwasbuiltfromthegroundupasa flexible,faulttolerantsystemcapableofsupporting theworkloadoflargelibrarysystemsandconsortia. Includescirculation,cataloging,andstatistical reporting. Mixofpublicandacademiclibraries OriginallycreatedbytheGeorgiaPublicLibrary ServicetosupportthePINESConsortium.

22

YouDon tHavetoGoItAlone You Dont Have to Go It Alone

Kohaissupportedbyanumberofcompanies aroundtheworld.Themostprominentonein around the world. The most prominent one in theUSisLibLime. Evergreen is supported by Equinox Software EvergreenissupportedbyEquinoxSoftware, homeoftheoriginalcreatorsofEvergreen.

23

LibLime
Fullymanagedsolutions DevelopmentandCustomization TrainingandSupport g pp

24

Equinox
Evaluation Testing Migration i i Deployment Support

25

Asasometimeprogrammer As a sometime programmer

Ibelieve,likemanyothers,thatyour librarysdatabelongstoyourlibraryand lib d b l lib d itspatrons.

26

YourDataIsYours Your Data Is Yours

Datamaybelockedupinaproprietary system. system Accesstothedatamaybeonlythroughpreset mechanismscontrolledbythevendor. h i ll d b h d Freethebounddata! Thiswillallowimaginativeuseofit.

27

Questions? Q i ?

28

Acknowledgement
SomeofthismaterialisfromWikipedia, thefountofall knowledge(en.wikipedia.org).

29

TomZillner Tom Zillner WisconsinLibraryServices tzillner@wils.wisc.edu (608)2620047

30