OSGeo Wading Into Geospatial Open Source FOSS4G 2011 Arnulf Christl OSGeo President

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source2/31 Wading into Geospatial Open Source

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source3/31 Agenda Software Development Proprietary thinking Open Source thinking Free Software Licenses How it all goes together This presentation is available as editable ODP (8.3MB) and PDF (3.7MB)ODP (8.3MB)PDF (3.7MB)

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source 4 / 42 Arnulf Christl Works as Geospatial Systems Architect in his company metaspatial.metaspatial ● President of OSGeo President of OSGeo ● OGC Architecture Board Member OGC Architecture Board Member ● OpenStreetMap Advocate OpenStreetMap Founder of several companies and initiatives, travels a lot and talks too much.

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source 5 / 42 For a living I do... What? Consultation and Implementation of - Spatial Data Infrastructures - Metadata Why? To leverage your spatial data needs How: - Open Source Software - and Open Standards - Agile management

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source6/31 Give you a perspective of what to expect

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source7/31 Software development team Solves the problem new version is released Software users have new requirements, find bugs Code is improved Problem is identified Software Development

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source8/31 Market analysis Software development team Goal: Goal: Solve problem new version is released Participators propose new features & find bugs Improved code is published on the Web Development team develops software Goal: Sell licenses Goal: Sell licenses Product launch beta version release for beta tester beta tester reports errors to development team development team reproduces the error development team solves problem after OK from pm Proprietary motivation: Make Money Problem is identified development team reports to the product management Internet as communication pool and distribution media Open Source motivation: Solve Problem Proprietary vs Open Source

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source9/31 It might feel a bit fuzzy and complicated...

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source10/31 Market analysis Development team develops software Goal: Sell licenses Goal: Sell licenses Product launch beta version release for beta tester beta tester reports errors to development team development team reproduces the error development team solves problem after OK from pm Proprietary motivation: Make Money development team reports to the product management Proprietary Business Model Black Box Black Box Primary Motivation: Make money Primary Task: Marketing of differentiation Associated Business Model: Restriction of distribution channels

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source11/31 But it can be so easy!

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source12/31 Primary motivation: Solve Problem...publish the Source Code!...and allow anybody to copy! Open Source Paradigm

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source13/31 Copying is not Theft There is a big difference between material theft and digital copying. We have difficulties understanding this because we are material. But our Mind is not entirely material. So we should be able to understand. A great 60 second cartoon by Nina Paley:Copying is not Theft.Copying is not Theft

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source14/31 Primary motivation: Solve Problem...and publish the Source Code! Interaction with Users improve the Software,...then release, often! Open Source Paradigm (iterate)

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source15/31 Initially the advantages might look rather small

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source16/31 Open Source Development The Source Code contains all functionality (and only Source Code can be modified). Public access to code improves the quality Typically bugs are fixed faster Often more secure due to multiple scrutiny Innovation is easier – and... Users have full control about what they get...and many more advantages. Read by Karl Fogel for detailshttp://producingoss.orgKarl Fogel

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source17/31 Primary motivation: Solve Problem Publish results Interaction with Users Improve Software Release often (iterate) Open Source Business Implementation Maintenance Consulting Support bug fixing Training Service Level Agreement No Monopolies, Highly Competitive! Maintain specific distribution

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source18/31 Overall Revenue in IT Less than 10% of revenue in IT is generated through selling software usage licenses. (i.e. by restricting copying) Read for more detailshttp://arnulf.us/Cadastre

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source19/31 Now the advantages already appear to be quite sizeable

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source20/31 Why copying feels illegal Because the primary motivation of proprietary businesses is to restrict copying. Why do they want that? Because re-selling the same thing over and over again is highly profitable and it scales! Why is it not all Open Source? Because the main distribution media for software – the Internet – only emerged in the late nineties.

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source21/31 You are not allowed to copy You are not allowed to modify You are not allowed to give away You are not allowed to improve You are not allowed to install You are not allowed to share You are not allowed to... Proprietary Licenses...today we can see a revival in the Terms of Services! Terms of Services

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source22/31 Free Software Licensing Not as in "free beer" but as in free speech You are free to: use it anywhere for any purpose understand and improve it adjust it to suit your needs collaborate with anybody else

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source23/31 Free Software Licensing Not as in "free beer" but as in free speech You are free to: use it anywhere for any purpose understand and improve it adjust it to suit your needs collaborate with anybody else Free Software Licensing Guaranteed!

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source24/31 Free Software Licensing Free SoftwareFree Software is a legal licensing model (a vaccine) protecting your interests. The opposite is proprietary software (also 'closed' or 'privative') protecting the vendor's interests. Nota bene: "commercial software" is a frequently used misnomer.

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source25/31 Summarizing: Open Source is the superior development model The big business has recognized this long ago and provides full Open Source services (IBM).IBM Software vendors adopt Open Source in geospatial including Autodesk, Oracle, esri and many others. Even Microsoft nowadays recognizes that Open Source works. Open Source Development

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source26/31 If even the die-hards have adopted it... Why don't you too?

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source27/31 Yes, … but: Anybody can call anything "Open Source" And a name does not automagically make better software! Using Open Source?

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source28/31 Open Source Geospatial Foundation Your Open Source Compass...organizes spatial IT Quality Open Source

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source29/31...I wanted to ask permission to get out of this really cold water now

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source30/31 CopyrightCopyright: Arnulf Christl, metaspatial. This slide set is copyrighted to the commons.Arnulf Christlmetaspatial 12 to 16 September 2011 FOSS4G: The annual Conference on Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial FOSS4G: Denver, Colorado, USA With friendly support by: t

FOSS4G 2011OSGeo - Spatially Empowered Open Source31/31 References OSGeo Foundation website: Wiki: OSGeo Mailing lists: OSGeo Incubation: Support OSGeo: Open Source: by Karl Fogelhttp://producingoss.orgKarl Fogel OGC standards: metaspatial consulting: A note on Copyright: This presentation is available as editable ODP (8.3MB) and PDF (3.7MB)ODP (8.3MB)PDF (3.7MB)