Why the Time Is Right for Open Source Software
The attraction of OSS is nothing new, and we will continue to see its incredible growth in the coming years for three key reasons.- Article by Editor (9to6linux) on
The attraction of OSS is nothing new, and we will continue to see its incredible growth in the coming years for three key reasons: financial uncertainty, rising cybersecurity challenges and a tech talent shortage.
In the late 1990s, Linus Torvald launched Linux as a way to democratize source code. Shortly thereafter, other companies released their own source code, and from there, the radical notion of sharing your software for all the world to use took off like wildfire.
The actual term “open source software” (OSS), was coined later in the decade at a conference in Palo Alto, California. There, advocates worked together to create a strategy for continuing this new model of software innovation. The group introduced the term “open source” in an effort to move away from the negative implications of the term “free software” and to set a more inclusive tone. Shortly after, its followers began to grow exponentially.
Today, according to Forrester, more than 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies use open source software (OSS) for their development projects. As it was from the beginning, the appeal is the community nature of the software. People like to belong to a community, and developers are no exception. OSS allows them to work on projects they’re most interested in and put their talents in the spotlight for all to see, appreciate and benefit from.