Free Software: History, Perspectives and Implications

'Source Code' – Human readable documents that define a program's logic. Example: sub login { my $login = shift; my $password = shift; my $user = User->new(); my $query="Select id from User where login=? AND password=?"; my $id = $user->dbread('', $query, $login, $password); if ($id) { $user = $user->lookup($id->[0]); $user->{'session'} = &getSession; $user->save; return $user; } else { return; } }

Early Software Development ● Specialized, expensive computers ● Run by highly-skilled technicians ● Extensive programming was required even for simple tasks ● Sharing of source code was commonplace

Creation of Software Industry ● Computer hardware became more powerful ● Allowed for more complex software ● Relative value of software increased, as cost of hardware decreased ● Technology companies begin to restrict their software

GNU Project ● GNU's Not Unix ● Create Fully Free Operating System ● Unix base meant tools could be run on many different types of computers

GNU General Public License ● Protects software from further restrictions ● 'copyleft' ● 'Free as in Speech, Not as in Beer'

Cathedral vs. Bazaar Models Cathedral Model ● Centralized Development ● Few core developers ● Only release stable code Bazaar Model ● De-centralized ● Many developers ● Open process ● Frequent releases

Use of Free Software ● Linux 'Clusters' – Many computers acting as one – 49 of 500 top supercomputers run free software – Also used in movie CGI: Titanic, Phantom Menace, Lord of the Rings made using Linux

● Recipe Analogie ● Explanation of Programming ● Show some source code ● History ● Early days – pre software industry ● Stallman anecdote ● GPL ● Free as in Freedom ● Linux ● Widespread use of free software ● Benefits ● Cathedral vs. Bazaar ● Software is consumer-driven, not profit driven ● Given enough eyes, all bugs are shallow ● Motivations ● Identity ● ego/reputation ● For pay ● Oss business models ● Urge to create ● Implications ● New Class Theory ● Progressive uses ● Schools ● Governments ● Developing nations ● Intellectual Property