Defining open source.

Open source doesn't just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of open-source software must comply with the following criteria:

1. Free Redistribution

The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.

Rationale -- By constraining the license to require free redistribution, we eliminate the temptation to throw away many long term gains in order to make a few short-term sales dollars. If we didn't do this there would be lots of pressure for cooperators to defect.

2. Source Code

The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost-preferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a preprocessor or translator are not allowed.

Rationale-We require access to un-obfuscated source code because you can't evolve programs without modifying them. Since our purpose is to make evolution easy, we require that modification be made easy.

3. Derived Works

The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.

Rationale. -- The mere ability to read source isn't enough to support independent peer review and rapid evolutionary selection. For rapid evolution to happen, people need to be able to experiment with and redistribute modification.

4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code

The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files' with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original software.

Rationale-Encouraging lots of improvement is a good thing, but users have a right to know who is responsible for the software they are using Authors and maintainers have reciprocal right to know what they're being asked to support and protect their reputations.

Accordingly, an open-source license must guarantee that source be readily available, but may require that it be distributed as pristine base sources plus patches. In this way, "unofficial" changes can be made available but readily distinguished from the base source.

5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups

The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.

Rationale -- In order to get the maximum benefit from the process, the maximum diversity of persons and groups should be equally eligible to contribute to open sources.

Therefore we forbid any open-source license from locking anybody out of the process.

Some countries, including the United States, have export restrictions for certain types of software. An OSD-conformant license may warn licensees of applicable restrictions and remind them that they are obliged to obey the law; however, it may not incorporate such restrictions.

6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor

The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.

Rationale -- The major intention of this clause is to prohibit license traps that prevent open source from being used commercially. We want commercial users to join our community, not feel excluded from it.

7. Distribution of License

The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.

Rationale. This clause is intended to forbid closing up software by indirect means such as requiring a non-disclosure agreement.

8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product

The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and used or distributed within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with the original software distribution.

Rational -- This clause forecloses yet another class of license traps.

9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software

The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on die same medium must be open-source software.

Rational-. Distributors of open-source software have the right to make their own choices about their own software. Yes, the GPL is conformant with this requirement Software linked with GPLed libraries only inherits the GPL if it forms a single work, not any software with which they are merely distributed.

10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface.

Rationale -- this provision is aimed specifically at licenses which require an explicit gesture of assent in order to establish a contract between licensor and licensee. Provisions mandating so-called "click-wrap' may conflict with important methods of software distribution such as

Linux Standard Base 2 Out

The Free Standards Group has announced the availability of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) 2.0, an essential component for the long term market success of Linux. Important new features in this release include the inclusion of a new application binary interface (ABI) for C++ and support for 32- and 64-bit hardware architectures. The Free Standards Group have also announced that the standard has earned support from the majority of Linux distribution vendors throughout the World, marking a significant stage in the deployment of a true global standard for Linux.

The LSB has garnered pledges of support ftom the majority of the Linux Community including AMD, Conectiva, Dell, UP, IBK Intel, Mandrakesoft. Miracle Linux, Novell's SUSE Linux, Progeny, Red Flag, Red Hat, Sun Wah Linux, Thizlinux, and Tuibolinux. This groundswell of support is significant as it promises to keep Linux from forking and going the way of proprietary systems in the past. Because of the reduced costs for software vendors writing to the Linux, adoption of the LSB will also result in an increase in the number of applications written to the operating system.

The importance of the LSB.

The Linux Standard Base is developed and maintained by the Free Standards Group (FSG), a non profit organisation dedicated to developing and promoting open source software standards. The LSB specification offers an answer to the most pressing issue facing Linux today-fragmentation. Industry leaders have rallied behind the standard and pledged their support to prevent this happening. FSG has developed LSB along with a number of tools and test suites to facilitate the creation of a standard Linux.

Distributions that comply with the LSB achieve interoperability with application software written to the standard. This is crucial for the on-going success for Linux as it simplifies the development and porting of applications by ISVs and guarantees end users will not get forced behind a closed operating platform. Most importantly, support for the LSB standard ensures linux will not fork and will continue to be the fastest growing operating system in the industry.

The Linux Standard Base specification contains a base set of APIS, libraries and interoperability standards. It also includes test suites, development environments, sample implementations and developer documentation.

Version 2.0 details

The new version updates some of the basic specifications and implementation underlying LSB, such as adding support for Single Unix Specificaction 3.0. A significant new feature in LSB 2.0 is the introduction of a new application binary interface (ABI) for C++. to improve code interoperability. This is significant as most applications are currently written in C++. By including C++ support in the LSB, this gives thousands of software vendors the ability to port their applications to Linux in a cost-effective manner and will result in an increase in applications choice for end users.

LSB support has also been added for new hardware architectures including the IBM Power 64, S390 and S39OX platforms, and Advanced Micro Device's 64-bit Opteron chip. Intel 32-bit and 64-bit architectures are also supported. LSB 2.0 also includes test suites and a development environment, a sample implementation of a complete LSB-based distribution and developer documentation.

Desktop Linux Users Debate Impact of Longhorn Gap

By Shane Schick

Novell's Nat Friedman, vice-president of its desktop technology group, said open source vendors work from a modular, flexible development model that allows them to deliver new features to customers more regularly than Microsoft. Novell has also said Microsoft's Longhorn delay will give it more time to push ifolder, which, like WinFS, stores data in a user's real file system and tracks metadata in a separate location.

The open source community is still hoping to see desktop versions of Linux enter the corporate enterprise, but vendors say Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) A6 decision to make major changes to the next version of Windows 'N will do little to help their cause.

Ever since Microsoft executives began discussing Longhorn several years ago, members of the open source community have been trying to figure out how they will compete with some of the product's key feature enhancements. Late in August, however, Microsoft said it would push back one of those features, the WinFS file system, while the Avalon graphical interface and Indigo Web communications framework will be released as upgrades to Windows XP 

Can Linux Gain Foothold?

There are already several versions of Linux for the desktop available to compete with Windows. One of them came from an early project at Ottawa's Corel which later sold its Linux desktop assets to New York-based Xandros. Red Hat Software has also been offering a desktop version of its distribution for some time, while the KDE project released version 3.3 of its free desktop environment earlier this year. Open source pioneer Bruce Perens and several other organizations formed the non-profit Desktop Linux Consortium (DLC) to promote education and adoption of the technology. DLC spokeswoman Jill Ratkevic acknowledged Microsoft's decisions about Longhorn could allow Linux some time to gain more of a foothold in the enterprise desktop space, but she said no one benefits from enhancements that don't make it out the door.

"Nobody wants Linux to fill a hole in the market because Microsoft couldn't keep to its schedule," she said. "The idea is to be a level competitor."

Proving Capability

John Danzig, who created and sells a desktop version of Linux called Libranet out of North Vancouver, said he pays little attention to Longhorn.

I don't think Microsoft is driving the Linux desktop. I think it's a movement on its own," he said. "I think people coming to the Linux desktop are people from the Linux side already, who see Linux as being very capable."

Stephen O'Grady, an analyst with New York-based research firm Red Monk, said WinFS in particular would have set Longhorn apart from open source operating systems, but the availability of Avalon and Indigo in XP could cancel out any advantages Linux vendors gain by the delay.

"I wouldn't say it's unilaterally one way or the other," he said.

Added Flexibility

Executives from Novell responded to interview requests with a prepared statement from Nat Friedman, vice president of its desktop technology group, who said open source vendors work off a modular, flexible development model that allows them to deliver new features to customers more regularly than Microsoft.

'The company has also said the delay will give it more time to push ifolder, which was recently released as an open source product. Like WinFS, ifolder stores data in a user's real file system and tracks metadata in a separate location. "I've played around with ifolder. It's OK," O'Grady said. "What they're trying to do is less ambitious than what the WinFS is trying to do. It's two sides of the same coin. On the one side, [ifolder] gives you less functionality. On the other hand, it's likely to get out sooner."

Security at Issue

Danzig said it would take more than delays from Microsoft to get Linux desktops in major corporations.

"It's security really," he said. "IT managers are not going to do any desktops unless they know they are safe and secure and that there's going to be someone available to look after them. I think you're likely to see a lot more support coming in the future at the moment it's a risky choice for them." Ratkevic added that the open source community will be trying hard to make sure they learn as much as they can from Longhorn in order to smooth the transition process to Linux. "People will say to us, 'Why do you make it so much like Windows?'" she said. "But what users want is a consistent experience."

www.novell.com

Novell Releases Updated SUSE Linux

Matthew Broersma

At Linux World Expo in Lindon, Novell Inc. promised its desktop Linux software by the end of the year and launched the latest version of SUSE Linux Professional, including updated wireless networking technology.

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s head of Linux strategy, speaking at the same conference, said recent advances in security and high-performance computing technology are pushing Linux into new realms. SuSe Linux Professional, aimed at technical enthusiasts, is updated more frequently than the enterprise edition, and includes the platforms latest improvements. Version 9.2 offers some enhancements to the 2.6 kernel, the KDE 3.3 and GNOME 2.6 desktop environments, updated mobility configuration tools and support for Bluetooth and wireless LANS. It is available for standard 32-bit processors as well as the 64bit AMD64 and Intel EM64T (Extended Memory 64 Technology) platforms.

The package also includes the OpenOffice.org 1.1.3 productivity suite, Novell Evolution 2.0 groupware, GIMP 2.0 for image manipulation, the 2.6.8 kernel and the X.Org Foundation's X Window System X11R.6.8.1.

OES, which will bring together NetWare 7 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 with a common management interface, will be attractive to Novell customers planning a gradual migration to Linux, but also to any other companies eyeing Linux, Novell hopes.

Novell's SuSE-based desktop software is now in closed beta testing and will begin to make its way out to partners and resellers as early as next month, with general availability by the end of the year, Kavanagh said. Like Sun Microsystems, with its SuSE-based Java Desktop System, Novell is initially aiming at PCs used for fixed functions such as financial services or retail terminals. One difference with Novell's desktop will be that, like all of Novell's business-oriented Linux products, it will be based on SUSE Linux

Enterprise Server 9. The desktop will use tools from SUSE such as the YAST configuration manager and Ximian's graphical environment, and will be tuned to work with Novell's OES platform.

www.novell.com

Move

With the release of Mandrakesofts new Move, Linux becomes a viable option to millions of first-time Linux users. A <<live @) Linux system that teams up with a USB key, Move lets beginners get a first taste of Linux and gives advanced users a full Linux system they can take anywhere. While overall Linux usability has made great strides in recent years, switching to Linux is still a daunting task to a lot of computer users--very often because they are afraid of damaging their system and cannot afford to do so. For them, and others, Mandrakesoft has designed Move, the successor to its MandrakeMove product. Move has a number of features that make it well-suited to Linux beginners. It requires neither installation nor configuration-everything is fully automatic, including hardware detection. Starting up Linux all one has to do is turn on one's PC and insert the CD in the drive. A complete Linux environment is at the users fingertips. Move does not make any alteration to the host system, so the system is safe. It is all contained in one CD, making it impossible to damage Move short of damaging the CD.

www.mandrake.com

Firefox Preview and Thunderbird 0.8

The Mozilla Foundation have released a Preview Release of its new Mozilla Firefox web browser and version 0.8 of the Mozilla Thunderbird email client. Mozilla Firefox Preview Release is a fast web browser and Mozilla Thunderbird 0.8 is the Mozilla Foundation's next generation email client. Mozilla Foundation have also announced the launch of the Spreadfirefox.com web site, which will be the hub for the Firefox marketing effort, New features in the Firefox Preview Release include:

** Improved pop-up blocker

** Security improvements: the new release provides additional protection to users against spoofing attacks, the practice of tricking users into believing they are on a trusted site when they are not. When a user visits a secure site, Firefox now highlights the web site address and clearly displays the name of the web site.

** Live Bookmarks, which help users discover a new dimension to the web by allowing them to create bookmarks that display dynamically updated content such as news headlines. Live Bookmarks let users view RSS feeds, a technology that web content providers use to easily create and disseminate news headlines and summaries. RSS feeds are offered by thousands of sites, including Yahoo News, BBC.co.uk, CNET News.com and most weblogs.

** Plugin finder service: Firefox now includes a plugin finder service, starting with the Macromedia Flash Player for Windows. Additional plugins will be added in the coming weeks.

** Improved searching within web pages: Firefox now highlights search terms when the user is looking for keywords within a page.

New Features in Thunderbird 0.8 include:

** Global inbox: POP3 users can now combine all of their POP3 accounts into a single global inbox.

** Comprehensive data migration: Thunderbird can now migrate all of a user's email data, including settings, mail folders and address book data from common mail applications such as the Mozilla 1.7 Suite, Outlook Express, Outlook and Eudora.

** RSS integration: Thunderbird now features a built-in RSS reader which allows users to subscribe to and read news and weblogs that support RSS.

** Improved Quick Search: Quick Search now supports many different types of search criteria including the ability to search message body text.

The Mozilla Foundation also released an update to the Mozilla 1.7 suite, which includes the security enhancements available in the latest versions of Firefox and Thunderbird.

www.mozilla.org

RELATED ARTICLE: Free Network Checkup 

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. have an expanded set of tools, utilities, and educational offerings designed to help customers to better design, administer, and manage SANS. The use of SAN Health, a powerful a new SAN management tool that Brocade is providing free of charge to its customers and partners, enables these new offerings combine technical depth with practical advice on how to optimise new and existing SANS. SAN Health is a tool designed to simplify SAN analysis and common management tasks. It automates diagnostic tasks involved with SAN management and maintenance and enables users to identify potential problems and performance bottlenecks before they can impact daily operations. SAN Health also provides four sets of information commonly required

* A snapshot of inventory and switch configurations to help in tracking and documenting the change process and in planning for SAN expansion and upgrades

* A detailed, point-in-time topology diagram that shows the logical connections of all switches, connected devices, and Inter Switch Links (ISLs), capturing the current topology and providing historical comparison for tracking and managing change

* Capture/display of historical performance data to monitor traffic pattern changes over time, assist in troubleshooting, and identify potential problems before they can impact operations

* Recommendations of best-practice guidelines to help optimise SAN performance.

Since the SAN Health utility has been available on the Brocade Connect Web site, more than 1,000 SAN Health reports have been provided to Brocade partners and SAN users. Brocade SAN users can access SAN Health by registering on Brocade Connext below.

www.brocade.com/sanhealth

Open Source Initiative