FOSS = Free and Open Source Software

  Definition & details, see: Wikipedia or Free Software Foundation Europe

Well, what actually is “Open Source”?

Common misassumptions:

• Open Source = Freeware
• It must be non-commercial
• It’s nerdy and non-user-friendly
• Requires strange “Lunax” system…?

Actually: FOSS is about your digital freedom…

Why bother?

See: publiccode.eu/

Free? Libre? Open?

is defined by “The 4 Freedoms”

The right to:

• USE it for any purpose
• STUDY how the program works and understand it
• SHARE copies of the software
• IMPROVE the program and distribute these changes

So what?

I’m not a developer.

I’m just using it.

Benefits for long-term preservation?

How long is “long term”?

• 10 years?
• 100 years?
• longer?
• or: 3-5 years?
  = market lifetime of digital products

Imagine: Proprietary licensed buildings

The Distant Future: The Year 2000?

We all depend/rely on “IT”.

• modifiable?
• interoperable?
• sustainable?
• repairable?
• adaptable?
• robust?
• …

The archival domain

• Relatively small market (niche).
• Off-the-shelf products often focus on different use cases.
• Highly specialized demands.
• High potential for vendor dependence…

With FOSS:

• Reusability of existing solutions
• Free choice of (local) support/suppliers
• No black-box / reverse engineering
• Common tools/codebase = larger userbase
• Less “forced” upgrades
• Sustainable software ecosystem

How come FOSS ain’t the default?

btw: In the beginning, every software actually came with its source code.

The current default is called “proprietary” (=closed).

Where to begin?

Perceived professionalism and quality

• Price = quality?
• GUI = quality?
• Professionals not using it?
• Ongoing support?
• Responsibilities?

– How FOSS? –

“Prefer, demand and support FOSS and open formats. It’s good for you.”

The next step:

Professionalization of Free Software

Paying for Free Software

Best of both worlds:

• Better support/updates
• Pooling resources
• Improvements available “upstream”
• Designed for your use-cases
• Overall better cost-effectiveness
• Public money = public code

You *are* ‘The Community’

Professionalizing FOSS:

• Make support contracts
• Paid installation/integration
• Hire developers, raise funds
• Non-financial contributions:
  • Documentation / Tutorials
  • Design graphics
  • Testing / bug-reports / helping others

Collaboration welcome

We archivists have:

• Common interests.
• Common challenges.
• Common solutions?

– The End –

Links

• Wikipedia: Microsoft and Open Source

Hm…