Open Source Technology1
Open Source Technology1
by:
NEHA BHAVSAR
ADITI DHAYBAR
Open source technology is defined as the production and development philosophy of allowing end
users and developers to not only see the source code of software, but modify it as well. The Linux
operating system is a one of the best-known examples of open source software technology. Open
source code is made available free of charge to the general public. The rationale for this is that a large
community of developers who are not concerned with proprietary ownership will produce more useful
and bug-free product for everyone's benefit. The open source concept relies on community members to
find and eliminate bugs in the program code, a process which commercially developed and packaged
programs do not utilize. The process of eliminating bugs and improving the software happens at much
quicker rate than through the traditional development channels of commercial software. The
information is shared within open source community and does not originate or channel through a
corporation's research and development department.
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Some open source licenses meet the requirements
of the Open Source Definition. Some open source
Introduction software is available within the public domain
History
Security
Affordability
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distribution of software built from
modified source code. The license
2. Source Code may require derived works to carry a
different name or version number
The program must include source
from the original software.
code, and must allow distribution in
source code as well as compiled form.
5. No Discrimination Against
Where some form of a product is not
Persons or Groups
distributed with source code, there
must be a well-publicized means of The license must not discriminate
obtaining the source code for no more against any person or group of
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the program's license, all parties to under terms that do not violate the
whom the program is redistributed OSR.
should have the same rights as those 2. Availability: The standard MUST be
that are granted in conjunction with freely and publicly available (e.g.,
the original software distribution. from a stable web site) under royalty-
free terms at reasonable and non-
9. License Must Not Restrict discriminatory cost.
Other Software 3. Patents: All patents essential to
The license must not place restrictions implementation of the standard
on other software that is distributed MUST:
along with the licensed software. For o be licensed under royalty-free
example, the license must not insist terms for unrestricted use, or
that all other programs distributed on o be covered by a promise of non-
the same medium must be open- assertion when practiced by open
source software. source software
4. No Agreements: There MUST NOT
10. License Must Be be any requirement for execution of a
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OSR Compatible The end-user of Open Source code
has the ability to change and modify
This indicates that the owner of the source to implement any extra "features"
standard has self-certified of security they may wish for a specific
that their standard complies with this use, which can extend to the kernel level if
Requirement, and all Compliance they so wish.
Criteria. Anyone may ask the OSI to review an
OSR Compatible standard; It is assumed that any compiler that is
if the OSI finds that the standard is used creates code that can be trusted, but it
incompatible, the owner must either has been demonstrated by Ken
modify the standard or stop using the OSR Thompson that a compiler can be
Compatible mark. subverted using an eponymous Thompson
hack to create faulty executables that are
OSR Conformant unwittingly produced by a well-
intentioned developer.With access to the
This indicates the OSI has reviewed a
source code for the compiler, the
standard, as submitted by the owner,
developer has at least the ability to
and certified that it fully conforms to the OSR.
discover if there is any mal-intention.
The OSI may charge a fee
to offset the costs of this certification. Kerckhoffs' principle is based on the
idea that an enemy can steal a secure
military system and not be able to
Open Source Software Security.
compromise the information. His ideas
More people can inspect the source were the basis for many modern security
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Refrences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
www.opensource.org/
www.sourceforge.net