1.2 Open Source (Industry) – Software Research and the Industry

2021-12-142021-12-14

The Success of log4j

log4j (2) demonstrates the tremendous success of the open source development model (and not the opposite, as some might believe because of the recent vulnerability).

A huge number of companies use log4j in their products. What else spells success better?

However, what those companies failed to do is to properly manage their risk, here the dependency on open source. That’s on the companies, and not on the open source model, which works just fine, thank you.

2021-11-232021-11-23

The Open Source Distributor Business Model (Dirk Riehle, IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 18th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

Title	The Open Source Distributor Business Model
Keywords	Open source distributor, open source distribution, open source business model, open source sustainability
Authors	Dirk Riehle
Publication	Computer vol. 54, no. 12 (December 2021), pp. 99-103

Abstract: This article defines and discusses one particular commercial open source business model, called the (open source) distributor model. It can attract significant venture capital, thereby contributing to the long-term sustainability of open source.

As always, the article is freely available (local copy, as PDF).

Also, check out the full list of articles.

2021-10-14

Using Open Source in Commercial Products (15min. Video, Slides; Oct 2021)

Today I gave a talk at Open Source Forum Oldenburg on the challenges of using open source in commercial products. Please find a generic video recording below. The slides are also available.

Using open source in commercial products (2021, 15min. video)

2021-10-04

Open Source Hardware (Hannig & Teich, IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 17th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

Title	Open Source Hardware
Keywords	Open Source Hardware, Integrated Circuits, Ecosystems, Hardware, Open Source Software
Authors	Frank Hannig, Jürgen Teich
Publication	Computer vol. 54, no. 10 (October 2021), pp. 111-115

Abstract: Hardware that can be manufactured from free and open source descriptions has gained a lot of momentum. This article gives a general introduction, focusing on electronics and integrated circuits, corresponding open ecosystems and organizations, and highlights benefits and challenges.

As always, the article is freely available (local copy).

Also, check out the full list of articles.

2021-08-09

Making Open Source Project Health Transparent (Goggins et al., IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 16th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

Title	Making Open Source Project Health Transparent
Keywords	Open source software
Authors	Sean P. Goggins, Matt Germonprez, Kevin Lumbard
Publication	Computer vol. 54, no. 8 (August 2021), pp. 104-111

Abstract: This article explores the Community Health Analytics for Open Source Software (CHAOSS) project and how it plays an integral role in the automation of key measures to make the state of open source readily observable.

As always, the article is freely available (local copy).

Also, check out the full list of articles.

2021-06-22

The Wrong First Question: Which Open Source License?

When thinking about creating an open source project, starting with the question which license to choose is the wrong approach. Rather, you should ask yourself: Why am I creating this open source project and what do I want to achieve with it? Once you have settled this question, you can use the following simplified cheat sheet:

2021-06-17

The Future Resurgence of Copyleft

In 2009, half of open source code was licensed under the GPLv2 license, the canonical copyleft license. Every other license had less than 10% market share. Over the years, the MIT license and other permissive licenses kept climbing at the expense of the GPLv2. As of today, the MIT license is the leading license with more than 32% market share in absolute numbers, with the GPLv2 license having fallen below 20%.

2021-06-03

Open Source Project Licensing

In a well-working community open source project, many people contribute. In particular, software developers will submit code contributions. As a consequence, without further measures, the copyright in the project’s code will be widely shared among its contributors.

To ensure that a project can be used without fear of violating someone’s intellectual property rights, all project artifacts, in particular the code, need to have a clear open source license, and ideally only one.

2021-04-20

Open Source Explained (in German, without Jargon, in 1500 Words)

Open-Source-Software, im engeren Sinne, ist Computer-Software (Programme), die kostenfrei genutzt, modifiziert, und weitergegeben werden können. Bekannte Beispiele für Open-Source-Software sind das Linux Betriebssystem und der Firefox Web-Browser. Open Source im weiteren Sinne ist ein von Menschen getragenes Phänomen, das uns ungeahnte Möglichkeiten der weltweiten Zusammenarbeit sowie neue Geschäftsmodelle gegeben hat.

2021-04-08

What is an Open Source Company?

An open source company is a company whose business model is built on a customer acquisition process in which customers first use a free-to-use open source version of the product before being upsold to a commercial offering by the company.