Free and Open Source Software misconceptions opportunities paths

Free and Open Source Software: misconceptions opportunities paths towards adoption Luca Ferroni Laboratori Guglielmo Marconi S. p. A. http: //www. labs. it © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 1

Part I Common misconceptions © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 2

Misconception 1: Free software is free of charge Four kinds of freedom[1] 0. To run the program for any purpose 1. To study the program and to adapt it 2. To redistribute copies 3. To improve and release improvements Free as in free speech, not free beer © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 3

Misconception 2: Open Source just refers access to source code Some Open Source criteria[2] No Discrimination Against Person or Groups No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor Free Redistribution Source Code Derived works Open Source is (like) Free Software © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 4

Free and Open Source Software overview Focus on social benefits Free Software Open Source License categories [3] Focus on business benefits © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 5

Misconception 3: Free Software is unsupported The illusion: “If I get software from a big vendor, I am confident that I will get everlasting support” Back to the real world: Big Customer vendor support Customer XP 98 X X X IT partner sw 95 Free Software support Customer X IT partner 2 IT partner sw XP sw 1. 0 sw 98 Big Vendor IT partner 2 sw 2. 0 sw 3. 0 Free Software community © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 6

Misconception 3: Free Software is unsupported (2) IT partner can go deep in the code as well as the original developer IT partner knows customer's needs If the software is good, a wide community exists © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 7

Misconception 4: Free Software cannot yield real business Offering services and support is business installation and configuration maintenance customization and service integration 24/7 support Companies that are self-confident of their own skills can do business with Free Software © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 8

Laboratori Guglielmo Marconi (LABS) Open business model Service integration and support Some LABS customers Health care industry: Bologna, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia Guglielmo Marconi - Bologna airport Customers benefits Investment in local skills, rather than in foreign licenses Quick customizations Dealing face-to-face with skilled people, discussing solutions with them Freedom to change IT partner at will © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 9

Part II Public Authorities needs and opportunities © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 10

Public Authorities needs and open solutions Data durability Better communication Security (and user privacy) © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 11

Public Authorities needs and open solutions (2) Save money © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 12

Public Authorities great opportunities local resources (vs overseas resources) human resources (vs software licences) software owner (vs software user) other opportunities to free citizens from “buy or be pirate” tradeoff to contribute to a World Treasure since Free Software is a World Treasure[4] © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 13

Part III And to conclude. . . is Free and Open Source Software a feasible solution ? © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 14

CAN public authorities ride the Free Software wave ? Bolzano province[5] IT expenses reduced from 269, 000 euro/year in licenses to 27, 000 euro/year in support Munich local government[6] 14, 000 PC's and 16, 000 users will be ported to Debian GNU/Linux before 2009 Brazil country[7] 20 million USD saved with 65, 000 GNU/Linux terminals Other experiences[8] © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 15 from Europe's Information Society web

SHOULD public authorities ride the Free Software wave ? If you want to be unbound to IT partner If you want to save money If you want to achieve better communication with local citizens If you want to keep your own freedom Yes, you should ride the Free Software wave ! © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 16

References 1. Free Software Foundation The Free Software Definition http: //www. gnu. org/philosophy/free-sw. html 2. Open Source Initiative The Open Source Definition http: //www. opensource. org/docs/osd 3. Free Software Foundation Categories of Free and Non-Free Software http: //www. fsf. org/licensing/essays/categories. html 4. FWT UNESCO Free Software as a World Treasure http: //www. fwtunesco. org/? FWT_ATM_Treasure_List: News: Free_Software_as_a_World_Treasu re © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 17

References (2) 5. Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) - Report Free Software in Bolzano http: //www. media. rai. it/mpmedia/0, , Rai. Tre-Report%5 E 23688, 00. html 6. Munich local government Li. Mux – Free Software in Munich http: //www. muenchen. de/cms/prod 1/mde/_de/rubriken/Rathaus/40_dir/limux/publ/free_softw. pdf 7. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia da Informação – ITI Brazil IT money saving https: //publicar. softwarelivre. gov. br/noticias/News_Item. 2007 -02 -27. 2751 8. Europe's Information Society Cases of official recognition/adoption of F/OSS http: //ec. europa. eu/information_society/activities/opensource/cases/index_en. htm © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 18

Special thanks to Associate Professor Renzo Davoli for freeing me Laboratori Guglielmo Marconi for the opportunity to work with Free Software Riccardo Carlesso for the English review Obviously. . . to you all ! © LABORATORI GUGLIELMO MARCONI 2007 - KSF-T Free and Open Source Software / 2007 -06 -29 19