Todays and Tomorrows Technologies - Research Paper Example

Today’s and Tomorrow’s Technologies And Their Impact on Society Table of Contents Introduction 1 What is Open Source? 2 Background 3 Features of Open Source Software 4 Drivers of Open Source Software 4 Internet Boom 4 License Cost of Software 4 Flexibility 4 Universal Novelty 4  Security 5 Uses of Open Source Software 5 Legal Issues 6 The Next New Thing 10X Change 7 Conclusion 7 References 8 Today’s and Tomorrow’s Technologies And Their Impact on Society Introduction Technology is one of the macro-environmental factors that have significantly revolutionized and transformed this generation’s way of life. The phenomenal breakthroughs in technological developments through the last few decades have paved the way for the emergence of applications that enhanced globalization and immense access to wider ranges and amounts of information at an unprecedented pace. Since the discovery of the Internet, more web-based applications through the development of software programs that could be applied in the electronic medium continue to come forth. One of the notable discoveries that contributed to vast changes in software design is the creation of the open source software (OSS), which, according to The Fifth International Conference on Open Source Systems (2009) “has had a global impact on the way organisations and individuals create, distribute, acquire and use software and software-based services. OSS has challenged the conventional wisdom of the software engineering and software business communities, has been instrumental for educators and researchers, and has become an important aspect of e-government and information society initiatives” (par. 1). In this regard, the current research aims to proffer pertinent issues relative to the discovery and description of OSS. The discourse would likewise provide relevant information relating to the features, drivers, and uses of the OSS. In addition, legal issues and concerns affecting its application would be expounded; prior to presenting future trends within the OSS phenomenon. What is Open Source? The website of TechTarget (2012) defines the OSS as “a software that is developed, tested, or improved through public collaboration and distributed with the idea that the must be shared with others, ensuring an open future collaboration” (par. 1). OSS is computer software that contains its fundamental ‘source code’ that is made available under a license. It facilitates users to adapt it and further improve it. OSS is also a topic of great interest to policymakers. The term ‘Open Source’ was publicly familiarized after 1990. The OSS has many variations and are continually evolving as it is widely spread in the commercial world (David & Michael, 2002). Background The origin of the OSS dates back to 1970s through the creation of Richard Stallman. He valued freedom of speech and therefore developed a system through an innovative idea that sharing source code has no harm. He introduced a free version of UNIX operating system where the source code was envisioned to be openly available to everyone. In general, OSS was applied to as a business friendly term (James, 2004).   Eventually, software companies have a freehand to develop either proprietary or OSS. The purpose was depicted to have an interactive process where large communities and users contribute their suggestions and proposals to develop the codes, make it error free or free from bugs and make it possible that others enjoy an improved version. OSS companies were reported to earn money by providing services, such as advising clients about the best versions according to their suitability, installing the software and customizing them and rendering development and maintenance services. There are number of institutions like Free Software Foundations, Open Source Development Laboratory, the Open Source initiative and many others that contribute in the promotion of OSS. Accordingly, there are number of supporters of Open Source Software as well, like the programmers and administrators of information technology who have a great inclination toward open code as it helps out enhancing their performance of functions (James, 2004). Features of Open Source Software The OSS manifest common features, to wit: (1) unrestricted distribution; (2) distribution of source-code; (3) facility for modification; (4) no personal biases and discriminations; (5) distribution of license; and (6 ) technologically neutral. Drivers of Open Source Software Internet Boom One of the drivers behind the development of OSS is the emergence of the Internet. Continually evolving and updating of various applications the Internet mechanism has helped in the development and improvement in the OSS. License Cost of Software There is a prevailing belief that OSS has no cost than the proprietary or the closed source software model. Licensing in OSS is a part of the total value equation only. Both OSS and proprietary software were reportedly created to address the demands of the customers. Flexibility The supporters of OSS were noted to recognize that the software is freely available and accessible to all; therefore, there are more chances of improvement and advancement. Despite the magnanimity, users modify and alter the software as they desire. As a result, OSS has provided flexibility in use. Universal Novelty Supporters of the software also argue in favor that the setbacks of the software cannot be denied, but collectively it provides a platform to enjoy innovation.  Security A wider group of people may regard flaws in the software, particularly in terms of addressing issues in security, privacy and confidentiality of personal and organizational information.  Customer Interest Customers are more involved and focused in the development of the OSS as compared with contemporary proprietary software. Uses of Open Source Software There are various identified uses of OSS, categorized according to the private sector, the government sector, and the academe, among others. The Private Sector There is an increasing inclination of private sectors toward OSS. The giants of information technology like IBM and many other major corporations due to its increasing growth consider that OSS is incredible in improving products and services of developers. Statistics revealed that over 67% of web servers run Apache, 30% of infrastructural computer run Linux and over 96% users of desktop computers still use Microsoft Windows (“Open Source Software”, 2005). The Government Sector Government inclination to increased use of OSS has reportedly been on the rise. This trend differs according to countries where current information indicate that the UK government shows increasing interest toward OSS while European Commission and government has limited and aggressive support for the software (Open Source Software, 2005). In Education Educational institutes are rushing toward putting all their services and academic resources online. Despite the number of challenges, the use of OSS through online education has completely transformed the educational sector (Shaheen & Kavita, 2008). As revealed, adoption of collaborative models of OSS has enabled educational institutions to pool their technical and financial resources. Educational institutions encourage their students to create blogs, communicate with other people, increase their circle of friends and make use of technology as much as possible, while, OSS models are convenient to use and access, educational institutions have reported the following benefits according to the identified features: (1) continuous improvement; (2) tax benefit and tax exemption policies from government; (3) flexibility in usage; (4) no license fee; and (5) continuity of services. Legal Issues The intellectual property issues are most crucial in the field of information technology. As indicated from current reports, the international legislation provides four mechanisms for protecting intellectual property. As for as software protection right is concerned there are three mechanism suitable for it; copyright, patents and trademark.   Copyright This is the most commonly used method for the protection of software products. Because of copyright law, one cannot redistribute or share the software without granting permission in a license. As a result, this license allows distribution under some terms and conditions; this is how open source licenses work. Software patents and Trademarks Software patents pose a serious threat to the individual open source developers and small organizations, which are not able to afford the cost of software patents litigation. Patents can be used as a weapon against competitors as well specially to those small organizations who cannot afford the patent litigation costs. The Next New Thing 10X Change Future trends and patterns affecting OSS was revealed by Dean (2011) as “as the integration of open source with cloud computing strategies, and the rise of open source business intelligence software. This year's survey results show especially bright trends for open source in the mobile and cloud computing arenas” (p. 1). Conclusion After analyzing all the issues, drivers, uses and the benefits of OSS, one can deduce its future leads to the development of innovative softwares that are more suited to the business and corporate environment. Despite apparent legal issues and costs in implementation of the OSS, the benefits far outweigh the costs; and therefore, the future of OSS remains to evolve into other technological arenas that would continue to impact society way into the next generations. References Read More