Free as in Freedom

Software Development

Remember when free and open source software were synonymous with buggy and no support? That was only a few years ago. But with the growing persistence of passionate individuals blazing the trail toward a new model of development and licensing, the establishment of “foundries” with a specific and targeted software development focus, and big-name companies including IBM, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft and Borland forming consortiums and platforms such as Eclipse, open source is ready for primetime. Developers all over the world are contributing to projects in an effort to mold products into stable, mature and free offerings that the community wants to have and use. Let’s first take a look back at how history shaped the movement, and then check out some of the most promising new products on the open-source landscape.

Lessons of History

In 1984, Richard Stallman officially launched the Free Software Foundation (FSF) with the altruistic goal of reinstating the computer user’s basic freedom to access, create and use information without the legal tyranny of proprietary licensing. Just three years later, Ronald Reagan delivered his famous West Berlin “Tear Down This Wall” speech in which he restated every citizen’s basic freedom of expression without the tyranny of The State.

The beginning of Reagan’s dream was realized when, in 1989, the Bornholmer Strasse Gate was opened; however, Stallman would have to wait another three years until Linus Torvalds released the GNU/Linux Kernel 0.02, launching the open-source movement and its formidable challenge to the proprietary licensing walls constructed over the last 20 years.

The key instrument and heart of the open-source movement is the GPL, the GNU Public License, written by Stallman as an instrument for what he calls a “copyleft.” Any software released under a license certified by either the Open Source Initiative (OSI) or the FSF basically enforces the idea that the licensee is free to run the program for any purpose, and the source code must be available, along with the freedom to modify and redistribute the software.

The FSF and OSI remain cordial allies in their opposition to proprietary licensing, even though their philosophies have quietly diverged over the use of the terms free software and open software. This minor schism is reflected in their certification criteria and lists: The OSI has 48 certified licenses with strong industry representation, while the FSF lists 27 licenses, mostly from standards bodies and academic institutions. Regardless of the differences, there’s been no shortage of computer companies wanting to secure their future by joining the movement and getting their licenses certified.

As a practical matter, the software developer or user can feel confident using software under either certification. FSF certification enforces a stricter adherence to its ideals of freedom and collaboration, while OSI certification is more accommodating to corporate realities. For example, Sun donated the Star Office source to the open-source Open Office project while withholding proprietary components (for example, a spell checker) that distinguish its distribution as Star Office. This may sound like cheating until one realizes it allowed Sun to add preexisting software to the pool of quality open-source products while protecting the OEMed components Sun doesn’t have the rights to donate.

Over the last few years, the impact of the open-source movement has been nothing short of a revolution. Microsoft has finally acknowledged Linux as a serious threat—no wonder, given the big commercial wins recently scored by vendors such as Sun and IBM.

Reagan and Stallman couldn’t have more disparate public images, yet they share an incontestable faith in freedom’s power. As Reagan so succinctly put it during his Berlin speech, “Freedom leads to prosperity.” Stallman would heartily agree.

—John Ravella