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Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial Software
Wed, 2012/02/22 - 08:52 — Satri
All Points Blog offers an entry named Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial Software.
Here's the list, and head to the entry to read further explanations:
- Open source geospatial software refers to GIS, GPS, spatial data management and related developer tools and end user applications delivered with an open source license.
- An open source license must meet the definition developed by the Open Source Initiative.
- Open source software is written by a community rather than a development team associated with a single software company. [...] Some do this as part of their “day jobs,” while others volunteer.
- The Opposite of Open Source is Closed Source or Proprietary Software, not Commercial Software
- Open Source Software is “Just” Software
- OSGeo is the Body for Open Source Geospatial Software
- Open Source and Open Standards-based Software are not the Same Thing
- Implementing Open Source Software May Cost Money
- Software developers and software users mix and match open source and proprietary software all the time. Esri’s ArcGIS, for example, includes the open source GDAL (raster handling) library.
- Open source licenses are designed for software, not data. There are other licenses appropriate for data.
Wed, 2012/02/22 - 23:33 — Anonymous
Re: Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial ...
Yep I agree. For example Google writes and release many software projects under free and open source licenses. In some cases with little or no community involvement. In many cases this is frowned upon, but it's still open source software. It's the license that counts for the definition, not the process.
Thu, 2012/02/23 - 01:55 — Anonymous
Re: Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial ...
I also agree. I would phrase this sentiment as another thing you should know about open source:
11. Open source is a software feature, not a product. The feature is the extra legal rights the license confers on you, the user. Such rights are necessary, but not sufficient, for the creation of a community-driven, software development process.
Thu, 2012/02/23 - 23:04 — Anonymous
Re: Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial ...
It's too bad so few of these entries have anything to do with Geospatial.
Re: Ten Things You Need to Know about Open Source Geospatial ...
I'd debate the certainty of [3] - there's nothing to stop a single company development team creating open source software and ignoring any community development, and even refusing to accept code from outside the company. However they can't stop the community taking the open code and forking their own version of the project.
Normally companies see the advantage of community development, but some try to be controlling over their Open Source babies (Sun? Oracle?).