Open Source

Laymen read here

Source Code is written by programmers, it uses a syntax that is understandable to computers and to programmers. This web page has XHTML source code. The source code for the image on the right looks like this:

<img src="images/karoo_logo_rotated_231x130.png"
alt="The Karoo Project"
style="border: 0px solid ; float: right;"
onmouseover="mouseOver(this);"
onmousedown="mouseDown(this);"
onmouseup="mouseUp(this);"
onmouseout="mouseOut(this);"/>

Its no great thing to be able to understand a computer language. A computer language really is far simpler than any of the spoken languages, which children learn easily from around or before 2 years of age.

The logic that goes into a computer program is a very intricate and tedious piece of work, requiring a lot of patience to get the job done. This logic is expressed in computer language as "source code". Maybe its easy to jump to the conclusion that the source code is a great thing of value, but the real "work of art" in a computer program is the imagination that went into it before the source code was written. The truth is that the source code is only of value to programmers.

This point has begun to be understood by the computer industry only fairly recently.

A computer program is like a compilation work. Its a collection of a lot of ideas, each of which in isolation is quite simple.

Similarly a machine is just a collection of bolts and material that make it into a useful form. You can open up the casing and look inside, there is nothing secret about it, and as you look at each part, it may be ingenious to a point, but most things in machines today have been used in other machines for many years. Its the same with computers... except:

Traditionally, computer programmers have tried to keep the source code secret.

Open Source is where the licence to the software states that the source code must never be made secret.

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Programmers and IT Managers, read here

Open Source is faster

I'm sure everyone will agree that the way to make money in the IT world is to stay ahead of the competition: to release new things faster than they can.

Sure, if you provide your source code to everyone to see, they can employ a programmer to compile it into a program and then they don't need to buy it.

However, you don't release the source code until you release the product, so they will be playing catch-up. By the time they've created something similar to yours, you'll be releasing the next version.

I admit though that by releasing the source code, you make it easier for your competition to catch up. But in any case, I just like this way of doing things.

I write high quality Open Source code, using code also from other Open Source works. I make this freely available. Its Open Source after all. And I give it to my clients free of charge. I charge only a consulting fee for my time. My clients get (for free) all the work they need that I've done in the past. They only have to pay me to tailor it best to their application.

This business model works exceptionally well for service creation. If you need a service of some sort, e.g. an in-house database application. You don't need to hold the application close to your chest, its probably only useful to you in any case. Its the data you value. The service is just a way to manage it. The absolute best way to get this sort of service working is to do Open Source development.

The result will be quicker, cheaper, and better, than a closed-source development.

Contact details

Zwartberg Reseach & Development is a registered trading name of Open Source Software Consulting CC.
Phone:+27235411462, fax:+27235411379, mobile:+27796977082,
brian@zwartberg.com, P.O. Box 2, Prince Albert, 6930, South Africa.