Web Provision: Open Source Software Solutions

by Rowan Wilson, Randy Metcalfe on 24 September 2003

Introduction

OSS Watch ­ Open Source Advisory Service

  • A web-based clearing-house for up to date information
  • Conferences and workshops
  • Focussed assistance for institutions and software projects considering open source
  • Investigative reports and practical guidance

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  • http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/
  • info@oss-watch.ac.uk
  • osswatch-announce@jiscmail.ac.uk

  • People:

    • Manager: Sebastian Rahtz
    • Communications: Randy Metcalfe
    • Research: Rowan Wilson
  • Research Technologies Service, University of Oxford, 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN

What is Open Source Software

Open Source Software (OSS) is software for which:

  • The source code is available to the end-user
  • The source code can be modified by the end-user
  • The licencing conditions are intended to facilitate continued re-use and wide availability of the software, in both commercial and non-commercial contexts? The cost of acquisition to the end-user is often minimal ‘Open source is a development methodology; Free Software is a social movement.’

Why choose open source?

  • One of open source’s biggest success stories
  • Total cost of ownership can be lower
  • Security through responsiveness, not obscurity
  • Data preservation

What is available?

  • Directory and Authentication software
  • Web servers
  • Scripts / CGI / Applications
  • Databases
  • Content Management Systems

Directory & Authentication

  • OpenLDAP
  • Kerberos
  • OpenSSL
  • mod_SSL

Web (HTTP) Servers

  • Apache ­ the internet’s most popular http server
  • Jigsaw ­ W3’s HTTP server
  • Jetty ­ HTTP server and servlet container

Scripts / CGI / Applications

  • PHP ­ Hypertext Preprocessor
  • Apache Tomcat ­ jsp and java servlets
  • Apache mod_perl ­ stateful perl CGI
  • Zope ­ Fully featured application server
  • Apache AxKit ­ XML application server

Databases

  • MySQL ­ Most popular web-backend
  • PostgreSQL ­ More fully-featured than MySQL
  • Xindice ­ Native XML database using XPath

Content Management Systems

  • Plone ­ based on Zope Application Server
  • PHP-nuke
  • OpenCMS

That’s too many packages

  • Linux +
  • Apache +
  • MySQL +
  • PHP (or Python or Perl) = LAMP