<br><a><font size=2 color=blue face="sans-serif">http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2004/Dec04/opensource.htm</font></a>
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<br><font size=4>"OPEN SOURCE" CONCEPTS CHANGING SOFTWARE INDUSTRY</font></div>
<p><font size=3>12-06-04 </font>
<p><font size=3>By David Stauth, 541-737-0787 and Diane Davis, 541-737-8945<br>
SOURCES: Scott Kveton, 541-737-9322<br>
Curt Pederson, 541-737-0739 </font>
<p><font size=3>CORVALLIS - Oregon State University has formed an "Open
Source Laboratory" - the first such facility at any public university
in the nation - and is becoming an educational leader in this concept,
in which computer software is developed and given for free to anyone who
wishes to use it. </font>
<p><font size=3>OSU's Open Source Lab has been instrumental just recently
in the distribution of a new web browser, Mozilla Firefox 1.0, which offers
an alternative to other web browsers and has gained international attention,
not to mention about six million downloads in its first month. </font>
<p><font size=3>But the popularity of that particular software is just
a small part of the action in the open source computer community, which
officials believe may change the face of the software industry and make
sophisticated programs more easily and inexpensively available to many
users. </font>
<p><font size=3>At OSU, it's also saving the university substantial amounts
of money and greatly expanding the educational opportunities open to students.
</font>
<p><font size=3>"Open source software is as much a philosophy as it
is a technology business," said Scott Kveton, associate director of
OSU's Open Source Laboratory. "It can be of enormous value to higher
education and we expect many other universities may soon follow OSU's lead
in this area. But at its best, this is about helping people and communities
develop, participating in larger projects that benefit all." </font>
<p><font size=3>Open source software, Kveton said, is not a fixed product
that a user buys off a shelf from a company with proprietary ownership
of the program. Rather, it's software in which the computer coding is made
available. Other users can read it, improve it, adapt or customize it for
their own needs, and share it. This collaborative process often yields
software of high quality that evolves quickly, he said. </font>
<p><font size=3>Private companies whose business is based on selling computer
hardware often use open source software, and provide some of its biggest
support and funding. </font>
<p><font size=3>The Open Source Lab at OSU, begun last February, is a way
to organize and increase the university's commitment to this software concept.
More information about the lab can be found on the web at </font><a href=http://osuosl.org/><font size=3 color=blue><u>http://osuosl.org</u></font></a><font size=3>.
</font>
<p><font size=3>Software is already available at OSU that can perform many
tasks, ranging from managing computer networks to student "help desks,"
automated web processes, web browsing, and productivity software such as
word processing, spreadsheets or presentations. </font>
<p><font size=3>"Developing software at the university is not our
main thing, so it makes sense for us to share and help serve the needs
of the higher education community as a whole," Kveton said. "In
addition, this presents unique learning opportunities for students, and
builds links of collaboration with like-minded institutions around the
world." </font>
<p><font size=3>There are very few other open source labs in the world,
Kveton said. But the idea is catching on. </font>
<p><font size=3>"We're involved in one project right now with a group
of other universities, including the higher education systems in Indiana,
Hawaii and elsewhere," Kveton said. "This is a $6 million project
that will create a comprehensive suite of software to serve the financial
systems needs of all Carnegie-class institutions." </font>
<p><font size=3>One department at OSU is contributing a small portion of
the funding for the project because it wants this software customized for
the particular needs of OSU, Kveton said. But in the end one version of
this expensive and sophisticated program will be available for free, to
anyone. </font>
<p><font size=3>The Open Source Lab not only organizes the development
of new software, but also identifies other open source programs created
elsewhere which may be useful to university faculty, staff or students.
</font>
<p><font size=3>The recent initiative with the Mozilla software is another
major success story, Kveton said. </font>
<p><font size=3>"This is a non-profit company that we've worked with
for some time, and the new web browser called Firefox they've created is
extraordinarily popular," Kveton said. "People are using it because
it can be used on almost any computer and has the ability to help block
pop-up ads, provide protection from fraud and other useful features. It's
probably the biggest success story so far with open source software, and
is really raising the awareness of this industry." </font>
<p><font size=3>OSU's laboratory has the capacity to handle well over 250
million Internet "hits" a day - an infrastructure built in part
with student assistance - and anyone who downloads Mozilla's new web browser
first goes through the OSU computer to be routed to one of many local sites
around the world, called "mirrors," where it can be downloaded
for free. </font>
<p><font size=3>Aside from helping others, OSU's innovative new lab also
helps the university, officials say. </font>
<p><font size=3>"The Open Source Lab is saving the university money
at a time of decreasing state resources," said Curt Pederson, vice
provost for information services. "It's already helped save the university
thousands of dollars by coming up with new solutions to otherwise expensive
problems." </font>
<p><font size=3>Donations of bandwidth, equipment and other costs from
organizations such as Mozilla and other open source users in the community
have helped support the OSU Open Source Lab, and specific funding is sometimes
provided by groups or agencies that need a specific type of software developed.
</font>
<p><font size=3>More than half of OSU's infrastructure now operates on
open source tools, including e-mail, web servers, and domain name space
management. It also will gain growing use on computer desktops, providing
systems that are more secure, more resistant to viruses and can be customized
to meet the university's needs, Kveton said. </font>
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<p><font size=3>-30-</font></div>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Robin Lougee-Heimer<br>
IBM TJ Watson Research Center<br>
ph: 914-945-3032 fax: 914-945-3434 <br>
robinlh@us.ibm.com<br>
http://www.coin-or.org<br>
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