Apple Computer released OS X a few years ago, which is essentially code added to the FreeBSD operating system. If you have a Mac, you have a free open source operating system under the hood. Apple's five year stock chart is even more impressive than Red Hat's, although the iPod certainly has something to do with that. Companies such as Apple Computer and Red Hat that are embracing open source in one way or another are succeeding in the marketplace because of it.
(NasdaqNM:AAPL) Source: Yahoo.com As for the future, Linux is looking strong.
Advisory services predict that Linux's share of the server market will grow from 19 to 26 percent by 2010. What's more, Linux will have the strongest relative growth of any server operating system, including those from Microsoft. Shipments will increase from 1.4 million units in 2005 to 2.4 million in 2010. Revenue will grow to $11.5 billion by 2010.
A Free Database Server? PostgreSQL is an open source database server that had 1.2 million downloads in 2005 alone and has recently received commercial support from Pervasive Software, the original makers of Btrieve. PostgreSQL is a free object-relational database. It offers an alternative to proprietary systems such as Oracle, Sybase, IBM's DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server. Similar to other open-source projects such as Apache and Linux, PostgreSQL is not controlled by any single company, but instead relies on a global community of developers and companies to develop it.
PostgreSQL is very stable and bug-free. Case in point, thousands of Journyx Timesheet customers have used PostgreSQL for more than nine years with zero incidents of data corruption.
Why the Open Source Movement is So Powerful
Software is ultimately composed of congealed ideas, so ideas are very important in the minds of software developers. The key to market power in the software industry lies in the minds of developers. Fashion plays a role; some ideas are fashionable and some are not. The idea, or philosophy, of open source is powerful, frictionless and seductive. And like the 'little black dress' in the clothing world, open source may just stay fashionable forever.
- Free redistribution: The software can be freely given away or sold. This makes for frictionless idea transmission.
- Source code: The source code must either be included or freely obtainable.
- Derived works: Redistribution of modifications must be allowed.
