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Bob: Open source is often inappropriately used in the same context as freeware or shareware. Can you clarify what open source is and why it's important for CIOs and IT?
Simon: The term "open source" was first applied to software in 1998/1999 as part of the Open Source Initiative. During the preceding 20 years, the expression "free software" had been used to describe the same concept and, understandably, people were confused. They assumed free software must be defined by price, as in "free beer." Free software and open source software are best characterized by the set of freedoms that they offer. Open source software is free in the sense that it offers liberty. It's critical that CIOs focus on liberty rather than solely price. Liberty can save you money, but saving money doesn't necessarily give you liberty. Freeware and shareware are marketing mechanisms related to price rather than liberty.
Bob: You say open source is about liberty. I often refer to the same idea as low barriers to entry and exit. Is that a fair assessment?
Simon: Yes, that's fair. When I say liberty, I'm talking about a set of freedoms defined by [software freedom activist and computer programmer] Richard Stallman over the last 27 years. I characterize Stallman's freedoms this way:
- The freedom to use software for any purpose.
- The freedom to study software and understand how it works.
- The freedom to modify it to make it fit your purpose.
- The freedom to pass your modified version on to whomever you please.
Those four freedoms lie at the heart of the value proposition for CIOs — freedom to use the software for any purpose without having a relationship with any particular vendor. You may choose to have a relationship with a vendor later to service or modify the software, but it should be up to you to decide when to deploy and pay for service. The freedom to study the source code is freedom to access the market full of experts. The freedom to modify the source code means that the CIO is free to participate in the marketplace to get extensions, add-ons, and customized versions. And lastly, the freedom to pass it on to whomever you please means that anyone in the extended ecosystem can use the same software without barriers to rollout or licensing.
