A Brief History of Free, Open Source Software and Its Communities (Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona, IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 13th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

TitleA Brief History of Free, Open Source Software and Its Communities
KeywordsOpen Source Software, Licenses, Internet
AuthorsJesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
PublicationComputer vol. 54, no. 2 (February 2021), pp. 75-79

Abstract: Free, open source software (FOSS) has a long history, beginning with the origins of software itself, when the terms free software and open source software were not yet defined. Learning about the milestones of this history may help to understand FOSS today.

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

Also, check out the full list of articles.

Continuous Open Source License Compliance (Phipps & Zacchiroli, IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 12th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

TitleContinuous Open Source License Compliance
KeywordsOpen Source Software, Licenses, Supply Chains, Standards, Computer Security
AuthorsSimon Phipps, Meshed Insights Ltd.  
Stefano Zacchiroli, Universite de Paris, France
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 12 (December 2020), pp. 115-119
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Standardizing Open Source License Compliance With OpenChain (Shane Coughlan, IEEE Computer Column)

I’m happy to report that the 11th article in the Open Source Expanded column of IEEE Computer has been published.

TitleStandardizing Open Source License Compliance With OpenChain
KeywordsCryptography, Distributed Databases, IEC Standards, ISO Standards, Legislation, Project Management, Public Domain Software, Software Development Management, Software Standards, Blockchain, Open Chain Project, ISO IEC JTC 1 PAS Transposition Process, Open Source License Compliance Standardization, Open Source Software, Standards, Licenses
AuthorsShane Coughlan, Linux Foundation
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 11 (November 2020), pp. 70-74
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Tools for Software Composition Analysis (Philippe Ombredanne, IEEE Computer Column)

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

TitleFree and Open Source Software License Compliance: Tools for Software Composition Analysis
KeywordsOpen Source Software, Software Composition, Open Source Licenses, Automation
AuthorsPhilippe Ombredanne, nexB Inc.
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 10 (October 2020), pp. 105-109
Continue reading “Tools for Software Composition Analysis (Philippe Ombredanne, IEEE Computer Column)”

Open Source Research Software (Wilhelm Hasselbring et al., IEEE Computer Column)

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

TitleOpen Source Research Software
KeywordsOpen Source Software, Scientific Computing, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Licenses
AuthorsWilhelm Hasselbring, Leslie Carr, Simon Hettrick, Heather Packer, and Thanassis Tiropanis
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 8 (August 2020), pp. 84-88
Continue reading “Open Source Research Software (Wilhelm Hasselbring et al., IEEE Computer Column)”

Managing Your Open Source Supply Chain—Why and How? (Nikolay Harutyunyan, IEEE Computer Column)

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

TitleManaging Your Open Source Supply Chain—Why and How?
KeywordsOpen Source, Software Supply Chain
AuthorsNikolay Harutyunyan, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 6 (June 2020), pp. 77-81

Abstract: More than 90% of software products include open source components, most of which are not directly added by your own developers. Instead, they are an inseparable part of the software supply chains that virtually all companies depend on. This article covers the related risks of ungoverned open source use and provides industry best practices to practitioners.

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

Also, check out the full list of articles.

The Innovations of Open Source Article Republished in IEEE Computing Edge’s April 2020 Issue

IEEE’s Computing Edge magazine is a practitioner-oriented publication that republishes particularly popular content from other IEEE publications. In the April 2020 issue, they republished last year’s The Innovations of Open Source article that I wrote to open the Computer magazine’s Open Source Expanded bimonthly column.

Best of all, it is free! (Original version, local copy.)

I didn’t know about the republication until someone pointed me to it. Check it out, if you missed the article the first time around.

Single-Vendor Open Source Firms [Computer Magazine]

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

TitleSingle-Vendor Open Source Firms
KeywordsOpen Source, Single-vendor Open Source, Commercial Open Source
AuthorsDirk Riehle, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 4 (April 2020), pp. 68-72

Abstract: This article present a particular business model for commercial open source firms, called the single-vendor open source model. This model has long dominated venture capital funding for open source software firms, contributing to the long-term sustainability of open source. As such, it is of high economic relevance. It is also an excellent example to show how open source licensing and related strategies really are just tools in the design of a business model and not philosophies.

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

Also, check out the full list of articles.

Managing the Open Source Dependency (Tomas Gustavsson, IEEE Computer Column)

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

TitleManaging the Open Source Dependency
KeywordsComputer Applications, Open Source Software
AuthorsTomas Gustavsson, PrimeKey
PublicationComputer vol. 53, no. 2 (February 2020), pp. 83-87

Abstract: Organizations use open source software in a majority of computer application programs. Here we describe some of the technical challenges and offer recommendations about how to manage open source software dependencies and avoid the most common pitfalls that might be encountered through decision-making, automated scanning, upgrading, and strategic contributions.

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

Also, check out the full list of articles.

How to Select Open Source Components (Diomidis Spinellis, IEEE Computer Column)

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

TitleHow to Select Open Source Components
KeywordsOpen Source Software, Licenses, Documentation, Computer Bugs, Software Project Management
AuthorsDiomidis Spinellis, Athens University of Economy and Business
PublicationComputer vol. 52, no. 12 (December 2019), pp. 103-106

Abstract: With millions of open source projects available on forges such as GitHub, it may be difficult to select those that best match your requirements. Examining each project’s product and development process can help you confidently select the open source projects required for your work.

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

Also, check out the full list of articles.