1. EIONETs Experiences With Open Source Why – How – Reactions by Søren Roug European Environment Agency

2. Contents What is EIONET An Example of Our Itch What We Did to Scratch the Itch Which License to Choose How To Do It Practically How did the Vendors React

3. What is EIONET A network of collaboration with ~40 webservers spread over all of Europe An Extranet Main application: CIRCA (all nodes) Secondary application: Zope (Everything CIRCA doesnt do) Topic-specific Data Exchange Software

4. Example: A Website (We originally paid a contractor to develop the application from scratch for us. Assume We dont have the source code) Everytime we need a new feature in the application we have only one place to go –They decide when and how (they have limited amount of developers) –They set the price (monopoly situation)

5. Example, continued Our helpdesk is prevented from providing support –They can only forward requests to the original developer We dont know what causes instability, as we cant audit the software –We must believe what the vendor tells us –They charge us for fixing their own mistakes

6. The Solution We release everything we develop (or get developed for us) as Open Source!

7. Additional Benefits Competition –To make it possible for other companies to make extensions to the software (or provide support) Software reuse –Software created for one DEM could be reused for another if We have the source Protection of Investment –What will happen if a software vendor folds or loses interest in the product

8. Which License to Choose There are three main license types –GPL – No commercial use allowed –BSD – Just keep the copyright statement –MPL – You can sell it, but not as Closed Source

9. How to Do It Two companies cant work on the same source at the same time unless we employ –Version control (CVS!) –A board to resolve conflicts –Someone to receive contributions from the public Specifications in the Technical Annex –All source files must contain the MPL license –comply with IDA architectural guidelines –All the results will be Open Source

10. Vendor Reactions Releasing previously developed software (owned by EEA) Avoiding Economic Barriers to Entry Tendency to forget additional requirements Inexperience with development tools makes it more expensive Do we make a platform for further development?

11. EIONET Read more on our website: http://www.eionet.eu.int/software