Open source software solutions are best suited for libraries The majority of these problems are in-fact teething problems and will go away with on “growing up”. Might have already invested lot of money and efforts in establishing automated systems over a period of time.ġ1 Teething Problems in Using Open Source Software Applications in Libraries Librarians are used to proprietary software applications integrated or running over Microsoft Windows platform. There is poor coordination between hardware vendors and open source community.Ĭontd. Paid support is difficult to get for new software. Accompanying documentation is usually is poor. Requires technical knowledge and experienced. There usually is limited technical support, especially for users of the software Customization : Open source software may not offer the level of customization as it is being done in case of commercial software. Inadequate technical support : Documentation tends to be limited and aimed at developers. Lack of coordination : The decentralized development of open source software means that progress can be chaotic and there may be delays in addressing bugs. Unanticipated Efforts : A library may find that it needs to do a great deal more work than anticipated to adapt the software to local needs. If the number of users is large, and they share their efforts, each user’s cost is reduced. Low cost : There is no charge for the software itself. No restriction on use : There are no contractual restrictions on how the software is used. No Discrimination Against Persons or GroupsĪbility to tailor to fit local needs : The availability of the source code means that a user can modify and enhance the software to more closely fit its own needs. computers to understand this source code – it either permanently translated (compiled) or on-the-fly translated (interpreted) into machine level codes.ġ. These instructions are readable by humans and referred as Source Code. Thus, the source code is Opened upĥ Source Instructions to computers are normally written by programmers in Programming Languages like – C, C++, Java etc. If required, the users can modify the source code and then compile the software to use it. To be certified as open source, the license of a program must guarantee the right to read, redistribute, modify, and use it freely.“ Source:Ĥ Open Here original source code of the software is also given. They may read it, make changes, and build new versions of the software incorporating their changesģ Open Source Software? "Open source promotes software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review and rapid evolution of source code. Open Source Software is software for which the underlying programming code is available to the users. Pund Principal Scientist, NISCAIR, New Delhi Presentation on theme: "Open Source Software For Libraries"- Presentation transcript:
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