Introduction of Open Source Software

            This literature review concentrates on the field (sub-topic) of Open Source Software. According to opensource.com, Open Source Software is basically a software along with its source code that people are able to review, revise, and improve as well (opensource.com). This is an important topic for the following reasons; open source software is able to remove the blockades between the innovators, it also promotes a free interchange of concepts within a society to inspire the creativity, open source software is definitely important for scientific and technological improvement as well. People nowadays prefer to use open source software rather than proprietary software due to some reasons such as; it is able to give more control, assists the people to become greater programmers, more steady and secure, and also the stability of open source software which assure to keep the tools from disappearing (opensource.com).

        Nathan Segal proposed in his article that, if we speaking broadly, open source software is basically a free software to support for the individual use and the business as well (Segal). The developers of open source typically will share their information and knowledge, then also make the source code to be accessible for other users, since the software is scattered with a certificate which permits for other users to modify or add something to it. Examples of the open source software mentioned such as Mozilla, which is the founder of Firefox browser, Word Press, and also Ubuntu. In general, the main differences from open source software with the commercial programs is that people will not have to pay for the open source software (Segal).

History of Open Source Software

        Vivek Singh (2018) suggested in his article that, the free software programme was starting in the year of 1984, where Richard Stallman exposed his GNU Project which aims to build a  which will lead to the creation of a “free software community” (Singh). In the initial 1990s, the Project of GNU ultimately united with Linux, which made Stallman’s free operating system became more intended, and within a decade, the  amalgamation of these two projects was shaped. A free software activist named Eric Raymond, confined “The Cathedral and The Bazaar,” which made the comparison between the expansion outlines of both the Linux and GNU Project before they were finally got united. Strongly impacted by the approach of Bazaar, Netscape has made a decision to open source the code design for “Netscape Communicator.” Based on the achievement of the experiment made by Netscape, Eric Raymond finally founded the “Open Source Initiative (OSI)” to develop the community of open source (Singh).

Ran Levi proposed in his article that, it was Richard Stallman, which first has the belief that the main core to make any innovation in software is with sharing the ideas and knowledge. His creation of the GNU Project and  , also his concept about the freedom along with the collaboration gained from a few power made the heavier and larger movement of Free Software (Levi). In August 1991, Linus Benedict Torvalds, a young Finnish scholar showed his interest in using the  and expanded it into “Linux.” With adding Linux into the GNU Project, it has made the project become more powerful. The combination of Linux and GNU operating system has presented the progressive technical potency of Free Software. In the year of 1998, Netscape, the proprietor of the Netscape browser, decided to share the source code of its browser and also make the invitation for the programmers across the world to donate and enhance it. This is the event of the first open source initiative (Levi).

        David Bretthaur (2001) mentioned in his journal that, the history of Open Source is considered to be close with the history of the hacker philosophy. The reason behind this is that the term of “hacker” is used to describe both a talented expert programmer and also passionate activities to progress the computer science, which is different with the definition that currently used for the hacker as a devastating system cracker (Bretthauer). The complaint which made by Richard Stallman for the Open Source Software is that it lets the presence of copyrighted software and neglects the ethical matter of software freedom. He assumed that there would be no ethical authoritative to improve a community without these freedoms. However, Raymond also said that he never made Open Source as the opponent. Instead, he was willing to work together on lots of particular projects (Bretthauer).

Definitions of Open Source Software

        M. N. Rao mentioned in his book that, open source software or also known as OSS is basically a type of computer software wherein the source code is free below a certificate in which the patent owner allows other users the privileges to do the revision, modification, and even hand out the software to another person, no matter what the purpose (RAO). Open source software might able to be developed in a cooperative community method. Open source software is also considered as a projecting pattern design for open team work. The development of pen source software is able to bring in varied viewpoints further than any of a distinct company (RAO).

        Steven Evvers (2000) proposed in his journal that, with reviewing at open source software, the usage and development of software have turned out to become attached. For this reason, the process of development begins with the initial associated concept and conclude with the elimination of the software commencing from the final hosting computer system (Evvers). One more impact is also mentioned as the direct or indirect presence of the entire users within the development, even though, lots of them may just usually update only the components of their software. To manage these innovative situations, the main assignment of extraordinary development settings designed for open source software is the establishment of appropriate information along with the communication structure (Evvers).

        Patricia Pickett proposed in his article that, the subject matters such as software reorganization, the accessibility and reliability of the source code, assets and circulation of licenses, derivative works, and also anti-discrimination are included in the standards for the definition of open source software (PICKETT). The Open Source Initiative or OSI is known as a world non-profit which established in the year of 1998, has the role as the main authority on Open Source Software. She has also explained about the benefits of Open Source Software such as; a good and easily enhanced quality once the source code is accepted, verified, and stable, gives the prospect of learning for programmers, it is also considered to be more secure than the copyrighted software since it is able to identify the bugs and also address it immediately, plus, open source software is the public domain which continually focuses to be updated (PICKETT).

        Alfonso Fugetta (2003) proposed in his journal that, open source is basically a framework of improvement that is fruitful when there are limited or constrained user communities in which the tactics of the customary market do not work within (Fuggetta). Therefore, it requires the independent venture from the community or another asset of funding, which usually comes from the government. Furthermore, Fugetta also said that the method of open source is undoubtedly quite operative and giving the way to engage people in a project of software development. Plus, it might also be considered as a strong  to support the practice of an effective and operative development as well (Fuggetta).

        Andrea Bonaccorsi and Christina Rossi (2003) proposed in their journal that, based on an economic judgment, the creation of Open Source software (OSS) could be analyzed as an essential process invention in the software construction process as opposed to the customary property-based tactic of the commercial areas. However, there is three main economic issues which elevated the appearance and circulation of open source software (Bonaccorsi and Rossi). The first one is the movement which appeared throughout the motion of a software development community that intentionally did not trail for the benefit motivations. The second one is, a classified synchronization occurred without the sustenance of society with copyrighted privileges. And the third one is, Linux along with the other open source systems dispersed in an environs controlled by recognized copyrighted principles, which profited from the weighty growing revenues (Bonaccorsi and Rossi).

Evolution of Open Source Software

        Sunita Barve and ARD Prasad suggested in their book that, open source software or OSS has been used by the user with the reason that it is able to hand out the software to another user due to open source software is considered as the most noticeable example of open source development and also often compared to the produced content of the user or maybe to the engagements of open content (Barve and Prasad). The main reasons why people nowadays are choosing to use open source software to support their activities are because it is claimed to be low-cost, secure, gives better quality, its clearness, and also there is no merchant “lock-in” (Barve and Prasad).

        Christopher Tozzi (2017) mentioned in his book that, it is quite difficult to describe what the real definition of “Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).” It could be defined as the software which the source code is directed by the specific licenses created to make sure that every single user would able to view it (Tozzi). The FOSS community usually applies the term of open source to define the type of programs which the public access of its source code within the particular licenses, as the reverse to other programs which related with free software. Generally, the difference between free software and open source software rotates around the range to which the certificate make sure that the imitative works maintain the identical copying authorization as those arranged by the original certificates (Tozzi).

        Karl Fogel (2005) stated in his book that, in the condition today, we need to be alert about the presence of question around “free” versus “open source,” to prevent of things that may be considered to be hostile to numbers of members in community, and mostly due to the best way is to recognize about the inspirations of the developer to handle a project (Fogel). Open source software has turned out to become the fundamental element of contemporary information technology. The nature of open source software is to decline into the background and then go undetected unless for the work that got a direct touch of it. Open source software is particularly widespread on the servers that arrange for the online services on the world of the Internet (Fogel).

        Christof Ebert (2008) suggested in his journal that, using “Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)” is no more considered to be just an option in this modern days (Ebert). Instead, in some point, many industries are using FOSS side to side with the life cycle of the product, or maybe as the base of technology, no matter they are using it for the trade and quality motivation, or maybe for commercial reason. In fact, there are lots of the most inventive products, and solutions are created and improved with using the basic of FOSS. To be noted, FOSS is not free software, and it generally has copyright. FOSS frequently has need of significant venture before it will be able to set out in the market (Ebert).

        Qiang Tu mentioned in his journal that, the prominent features of open source development are mentioned such as; the projects of open source development are mainly protected as of “time-to-market” burdens which means that a system no need to be unconstrained up to the project proprietors are pleased and assured that the system is developed and steady, the code quality along with the standards could be quite far and wide (Tu). Plus, there is also an appearance of common unstable code since the developers are excited to submit their assistance to the project, and, since open source development motivates for the active contribution but not essentially vigilant reproduction and reform, therefore, the deliberate evolution, analysis, as well as the protective preservation might be suffered (Tu).