Sherwood Forest Has Never Been Greener: Rise of the Open Source Movement

The Open Source Movement (OSM) has come a long way since the inception of the concept by computer geeks and programmers as an alternative to proprietary software where intellectual property rights are not impugned with the use and free distribution of the software. The virtual monopolization of system software by Microsoft led these revolutionaries to alter the market space through the introduction of Linux, an Open Source system software. The software also proved more reliable as compared to Microsoft Windows with less security holes and more control features. However, the biggest advantage of Linux remained the volunteer programmers all around the world who would fix any bug or errors in the software as soon as they were discovered and upload the patches on the internet. The dawn of the internet, where these programmers could share their patches and fixes with the entire world thus remained crucial to the OSM.

The OSM concept was dismissed around the world with rebuke over concerns of the reliability of the patches and the lack of support in case of any help required regarding the working of the software. As more and more people joined the movement, user and developer forums mushroomed which provided help to the users of the software and the concern eventually subsided.

Many Open Source software companies are now reaping the fruit of the Movement, with companies like Redhat Linux profiting from the support offered to their version of the Linux sold to firms and the public. Apache web servers, Ingres database, MySQL and many other Content Management Systems on the web are flourishing in these tough economic times. Ubuntu, another version of Linux is also expanding its realm of operations all over the world with free distribution of CDs to customers. Linux’s popularity can also be judged from the fact that majority of the super computers in the world have Linux or a variation of Linux running in their systems as the software of choice.

The rise of end user software development and the widget/gadget revolution is also aiding the OSM with many software widgets being programmed by users for free distribution on many social networks and blogs which provide a variety of services for the users. However, the biggest threat to proprietary software and Microsoft remains the danger posed by Netbooks which offer a cheaper alternative to a laptop with slimmed down version of the same being distributed at prices as low as $200 dollars. These Netbooks usually come with open source Linux software as a cheap alternative to Windows and the majority of new converts to the Linux operating system would come from the mass scale sale of these thinned versions of laptops. With memory chips instead of hard disks and a processor tailored for internet use, these Netbooks are set to take the internet revolution to a new level by lowering the adverse affects of the digital divide in poor countries. Cheap computing has become both a necessity and a commodity and the world is all ready to brace it with poor countries having the most to reap from it and most if not all of it is mainly brought about by the Open Source Movement that we so relish now.