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#Week 5 - Apr 28: Workshop 4

##Open Source Software (OSS)

What is open source software?

The Open Source Initiative

  • History
    • Netscape web browser source code released in 1998 for 'pragmatic, business-case' reasons
    • 'Open Source' coined in a meeting in February 1998 to help distinguish this new practice of releasing code that Netscape, Linux and others were beginning to bring to the mainstream.
  • Definition
    • Open source software is software that can be freely used, changed, and shared (in modified or unmodified form) by anyone. Open source software is made by many people, and distributed under licenses that comply with the Open Source Definition.
    • The Open Source Definition
  • How it disrupts distribution
    • Software subscription models instead of buying single applications that become outdated
    • Instead of charging for the software, charge for technical support, extra plugins and services around the software
    • Software As A Service (SAAS)
  • Licensing
    • The license for a project determines how it can get reused, sold or distributed
    • Licensing has typically been confusing to think about and usually ends up in a gray area
    • Mostly important to cover basic legal rights
  • Community
    • OSS cultivates a culture of learning from each other, and remixing ideas
    • Software is meant to be thought of as a shared knowledge as opposed to a commodity
  • Culture

Licensing

Licensing an open source project is complicated. There are many different types of licenses for different reasons, and they stipulate everything from who can use your code and for what purposes, and how much they can or cannot charge for derivative works.

Licenses are typically concerned with:

  • Distribution
  • Money
  • Credit
  • Reuse

How to choose a license for your project

Where to find OSS projects

Creative Software/Coding + Open Source

Software

####Open Source Creative Coding Libraries and Toolkits

####Open Hardware

####Art Projects

####Conferences

Related Initiatives

Creative Commons

The idea of Open Source applied to the creation and distribution of media.

##Activity: OSS and Art + Design

  1. Pair up with someone not from your major
  2. Finish and discuss the readings:
  3. Discuss with each other how the readings and the terminology in them relates to your field or department. Questions to consider:
    • What does "Open Source" mean in your field?
    • Is intellectual property typically freely shared, or highly guarded?
    • What are the financial implications of openness in your field's industry?
    • Is work in your field usually done alone or in teams?
    • How easy is it to find information about your design or craft in libraries, or on the Internet?
    • How easy is it to access key players in your field?
    • Pick your favorite open source project and explain to your partner why it matters to you
  4. AS PAIRS, SHARE YOUR PARTNER'S FINDINGS WITH THE CLASS

##Class Shares