Understanding Open Source

In the past few years, open source software (OSS) has become a viable alternative to proprietary, closed source software. While many a geek may be truly excited about the recent success of OSS, how does it affect educators? Many educational benefits of OSS have been proposed, including the obvious cost savings as well as allowing students to engage with technology as collaborators instead of simply helpless consumers. The following resources are an attempt to give educators the knowledge necessary to understanding OSS, the ability to convince others of its virtues, and the tools to use OSS effectively in the classroom setting. If you just want to know where to find appropriate OSS, check out the OSS applications section.

What is Open Source?

The generally accepted definition of OSS is that the source code (computer language innards) of a program can be accessed by anyone, and modified to suit their particular needs according to a particular licensing scheme (see the definition of open source at Wikipedia). In practice, this means that educators can use OSS without any monetary payment, and if they so choose, can have their students explore and adapt the code that has created the program.

This ability to see the source code of software has often given people a confused idea that somehow OSS is not as "safe" to use, or that students will be able to compromise the system. In fact, it is often the exact opposite. Since the source code is available for all to peruse, there are many people who can spot errors or vulnerabilities, so software can go through peer review before being adopted by the masses.

This explanation is, at best, a weak paraphrase of the official definition, but hopefully it serves as a sufficient explanation to most interested educators. Note that there is some confusion between the difference between "open source" and "free software", with the best description of the differences being that "open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement" (GNU.org)

Copyright/Copyleft and "Free as in Beer"

Part of the appeal of the open source movement can be somewhat attributed to various licensing schemes, and particularly the General Public License (GPL) developed by Richard Stallman. The GPL is a legal software agreement, which enabled various workers to work on GNU (a precursor to Linux), and has been adopted by many projects since. Those developing any works covered by the GPL have the liberty to make changes, share code, use and redistribute their work. Additionally, they are bound to share any derived works with the software community. 'Copyleft', and essential part of the GPL, is the mechanism that keeps software "free".

Copyleft uses copyright law, but flips it over to serve the opposite of its usual purpose: instead of a means of privatizing software, it becomes a means of keeping software free. The central idea of copyleft is that we give everyone permission to run the program, copy the program, modify the program, and distribute modified versions – but not permission to add restrictions of their own. Thus, crucial freedoms that define “free software” are guaranteed to everyone who has a copy; they become inalienable rights. (Stallman, 2000, p. 53)

An important distinction related to the open source movement lies in what is meant by the term "free" software. Software developed under the GPL does NOT have to be given away for free. For instance, there are companies that charge for their distributions of Linux (e.g., Novell, Redhat). Free is meant in the sense of 'liberty' rather than 'gratis'. To clarify, Stallman defines the meaning of the term free software by explaining that it refers to software that is “free as in speech, not as in beer” (Dibona, Ockman, Stone, 1999, p.3).

Articles on Open Source in Education

  • Students Score Big Opportunities For Learning Using Linux (school webpage) (article on LinuxPlanet)
    "Most of the workstations in our Technology Center  do not have an operating system or software loaded on them, in fact most of the workstations don't even have a hard drive.  The workstations connect to the terminal server via the network and the server does all the work. Using this system we are able to use legacy (outdated) computers and they will perform as well or better than computers that are nearly brand new. Software is only updated on the server and viruses are almost non-existent in Linux."
  • Open Source in School Computer Labs (Matthew Strait and Ethan Sommer)
    "This document is intended to convince school administrators that using Open Source Software in their schools' computer labs is a good thing. It covers both use of OSS programs on Windows and use of Linux. It is written with United States public school systems in mind, but is not explicitly restricted to them."
  • Riverdale High School - Open Source Case Study
    Provides a summary of the hardware and cost required to implement an open source computer network at a school of 350 students.
  • Cost savings of open source software in the server room (Rob Lineweaver)
    A survey of the cost savings generated by using open source software in the creation of a secondary school computer network.
  • Why should open source software be used in schools? (Terry Vessels)
    "It is indeed a strange world when educators need to be convinced that sharing information, as opposed to concealing information, is a good thing. The advances in all of the arts and sciences, indeed the sum total of human knowledge, is the result of the open sharing of ideas, theories, studies and research. Yet throughout many school systems, the software in use on computers is closed and locked, making educators partners in the censorship of the foundational information of this new age."
  • MIT Everywhere (David Diamond, Wired News)
    "Every lecture, every handout, every quiz. All online. For free. Meet the global geeks getting an MIT education, open source-style."
  • Free and Open Source Software Primer (International Open Source Network)
    The document begins with a rationale for the use of FOSS in education, and builds a strong (and familiar) case. The authors then cover FOSS for infrastructure, administration, learning management, research, training and open content. Excellent and current examples are referenced.

Open Source Related Websites

  • SchoolForge
    "Schoolforge's mission is to unify independent organizations that advocate, use, and develop open resources for primary and secondary education."
  • K12LTSP
    "Linux is free in terms of cost and in terms of development because it's based on Open Source software. We are free to adapt the work of others for use in our schools. This kind of freedom produces better software and makes Linux the right choice for schools and agencies concerned with the ethical use of public funds. "
  • The KDE Edutainment Project
    "We are developing high-quality educational software for the K Desktop Environment. Our primary focus is on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialized user interface needs of young users. However, we also have programs to aid teachers in planning lessons, and others that are of interest to university students and anyone else with a desire to learn!"
  • CanOpenER
    "It is CanOpenER's intent to become a National advocacy group to educate Canadians about all aspects of the Free Software Movement, GNU/Linux, and Open Source Software. The initial emphasis of the group is to promote the use of GNU/Linux and Open Source Software in all publicly funded institutions of Canada."

Philosophical Roots

  • Fundamental issues with open source software development (Michelle Levesque)
    "Despite the growing success of the Open Source movement, most of the general public continues to feel that Open Source software is inaccessible to them. This paper discusses five fundamental problems with the current Open Source software development trend, explores why these issues are holding the movement back, and offers solutions that might help overcome these problems."
  • Open Source Content in Education (George Siemens)
    "The essential concept presented: we need open access and sharing of educational materials to provide an alternative to increasing pressures of proprietary content providers."
  • Homesteading the Noosphere (Eric S. Raymond)
    "After observing a contradiction between the 'official' ideology defined by open-source licenses and the actual behavior of hackers, we examine the actual customs which regulate the ownership and control of open-source software."
  • Lessons from Open Source: Intellectual Property and Courseware (Jan Newmarch)
    "In this competitive age, universities are seeking ways to protect their intellectual property, for fear that it might be stolen or used by others without financial benefit coming back to the university. Increasingly, universities are using mechanisms of secrecy to secure their property. This paper argues that this approach is wrong on both moral and business grounds, and that a better model can be found in the Open Source movement of the software industry."
  • Linux in Higher Education: Open Source, Open Minds, Social Justice (Bryan Pfaffenberger)
    "Colleges and universities should move to adopt Linux as an international standard for computing in higher education."