Leading Open Source Software Packages

This section of the site describes a range of software packages that are commonly used in Open Source environments. The majority are either Open Source themselves (according to this site's definition) or in the case of a select few, are not themselves Open Source but instead are representative of commercial/proprietary solutions to be found running on or associated with Open Source platforms. There is no attempt here to be comprehensive. Other projects are working on the provision of comprehensive Open Source software directories and links to them are planned to be added soon.

As this site matures the most important packages will each gain a dedicated page. The remainder have placeholder descriptions given below.

There are numerous Open Source Software projects ranging from fundamental infrastructure tools through to specific niche products. The entire internet is supported by open source tools such as BIND and Sendmail, and the vast majority of Internet data originates in and is routed by software derived from (or which still is) Open Source. Not all Open Source projects choose the same licenses, but those listed below all use licences that we consider to be open enough. Some also have commercial counterparts available.

This section will expand to provide more detailed descriptions of each component, see at present the Apache, OpenOffice.org, Squid and MySQL descriptions as examples. It has been divided into three sections based on editorial opinion as to whether each component is of leading, significant, or other importance. Clearly it is impossible to cover all of the thousands of Open Source projects here, our decision is based on general commercial impact. We welcome comments about glaring omissions but our decision is based on our opinion of what is important to business migration to Open Source use.

This listing forms a representative selection of some of the most relevant Open Source projects. This guide is not intended to be comprehensive but instead representative. Our goal is to provide information about the scope and range of what is available in the Open Source world rather than to enumerate every single project or package, which would require a huge directory and massive maintenance.

Leading Open Source Projects

• Apache - World-leading webserver software
• BIND - DNS name server software
• Sendmail - Mail exchanger package
• Squid - Web proxy and cache
• BSD - Open Source Operating System
• Linux - Open Source Operating System
• Gnome - Desktop environment for Unix-like systems
• KDE - Desktop environment for Unix-like systems
• Gnu - Vast range of software tools, compilers and more
• Samba - File, Print and Domain server services for Microsoft clients
• OpenOffice.org - Office Applications Suite
• MySQL - Lightweight Open Source Database
• PostgreSQL - Heavyweight Open Source Database
• Perl - The One True Programming Language (to its believers)
• CPAN - Huge repository of Perl program modules
• XFree86 - Networked windowing system
• PHP - Very popular website development language
• Gimp - Graphics editing and manipulation program, resembling Photoshop

• BIND is the name for the Domain Name Server (DNS) software which underpins the entire Internet. Identical software runs on the Internet Root Name Servers as can also be found in any Linux or other Open Source system distribution. The importance of this software in the world's network infrastructure cannot be overstated.
• Sendmail continues to carry an estimated 80% of the entire world's email traffic. Although some other projects are starting to compete with Sendmail, it remains a cornerstone of the international infrastructure. The principal task performed by Sendmail is as a mail transfer agent, handling the interchange and queueing of email messages on outbound and intermediate servers. Most free software distributions continue to use it as their email engine of choice. Sendmail should not be confused with the ‘user agent’, software used by a particular individual to compose and read mail. There are numerous user agents such as Elm, Mutt, Pine, Eudora, Microsoft Outlook — all of which are often used in conjuction with Sendmail to build a complete email solution.
• BSD – URL to follow. These are a family of Unix reimplementations, based more or less on the original Berkely Unix distributions. Although not as well known in some sectors as Linux, they have a strong following and are argued in some quarters to be more robust and reliable than Linux.
• Gnome is a serious attempt to provide a fully-networked desktop environment for the various Unix-like platforms. It is shipped as standard with all the major Linux distributions and is now considered stable and effective. Various add-on projects exist to extend Gnome and build a suite of office applications, for example Gnumeric, a spreadsheet.
• KDE is a similar project to Gnome, though possibly more visually polished (opinions vary). Another desktop project with many followers and … once blessed with suitable applications … a serious threat to the established monopoly.
• GNU. A multitude of Open Source projects live under the GNU banner .. indeed, Gnome is just one of them. The founding father of GNU, Richard Stallman, can take the credit for much of what we now see as the Open Source Movement. In particular, effectively all the other Unix look-alikes are deeply indebted to GNU for the compilers and huge range of software tools that stem from the GNU work. By rights, what is commonly called ‘Linux’ should really be known as ‘GNU/Linux’ since the bulk of what constitutes ‘Linux’ is in fact the GNU infrastructure. Huge, excellent and enormously influential.
• Samba provides interworking between practically any operating systems and the Microsoft world of file and printer sharing (including domain controller services). Samba is in widespread use in many large organisations, replacing expensive servers and their proprietary licences with licence-free, low cost, commodity solutions. Most people who are used to using Samba find it incomprehensible that other organisations haven't realised how effective, stable and reliable this solution is.
• OpenOffice.org and Star office: see this link.
• Perl is an established programming language with a strong following amongst thinking programmers. It is perhaps best known as a website development tool - but only to those who don't know its true capabilities. It has also spun off (see CPAN below) a huge army of ‘module’ developers and is increasingly one of the main programming languages of choice amongst the more talented software developers.
• XFree86 - "The XFree86 Project, Inc is the organisation which produces XFree86 , a freely redistributable open-source implementation of the X Window System which runs on UNIX(R) and UNIX-like operating systems such as Linux, all of the BSD variants, Sun Solaris x86, Mac OS X (via Darwin), as well as other platforms like OS/2 and Cygwin." This is the de-facto standard graphical display system for the entire Open Source community, forming the platform for developments such as Gnome and KDE.
• Wine - a package that provides by hook or by crook an environment in which applications written for Microsoft platforms can run unchanged on top of an Open Source operating system. Much more needs to be written about this: casual readers should know that it is not a complete solution.
• VNC - a package that gives remote access to PCs or other systems using a standard protocol, allowing users either passively to observe another user's screen or actively take control of the mouse, keyboard. Popular in helpdesk and other areas.
• CPAN - the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network - could be overlooked by those not in the know. This is a repository for thousands of Perl modules (pluggable extensions, or libraries); many of which are significant software projects in their own right. A Perl developer who needed a templating language for a website, or an XML parser (for example), would first check CPAN to see if it contains what is needed. There are excellent modules for a wide range of tasks: those who don't know Perl are usually staggered by the range and quality of what is available. The CPAN archive far outstrips the range of class libraries available for Java.
• PHP is a scripting language for websites which are backed by databases. Not only is it widely used on Unix systems, it is now starting to supplant Active Server Pages on Microsoft platforms too, because of its power and portability. Usage of PHP is growing rapidly. Packaged via Foxserv it is proving highly popular in Windows™ environments as well as its traditional GNU/Linux home. Coupled with MySQL it provides a powerful web/intranet development facility which is entirely platform-independent.
• Gimp - more properly ‘The GIMP’ (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is considered to be a strong competitor to Adobe Photoshop as a tool for manipulating raster images. It is particularly interesting as one of the first domain-specific end-user applications to emerge amongst what had until recently been mostly infrastructure or horizontally aimed Open Source developments.
• PostgreSQL - a relational database (actually considerably more) that is seen by many in the Open Source community as a serious competitor to mainstream database products. In contrast to MySQL it provides a comprehensive implementation of SQL and other features that are required for enterprise-scale deployment. PostreSQL is bundled and promoted for enterprise applications by some of the mainstream Open Source distributors. It should be seen as an alternative to MySQL rather than a competitor since the products occupy different niches. The development team describe the product as: "a sophisticated Object-Relational DBMS, supporting almost all SQL constructs, including subselects, transactions, and user-defined types and functions. It is the most advanced open-source database available anywhere."

Significant

• Jakarta / Tomcat A spin-off from the Apache project (with many subprojects), "The Jakarta Project creates and maintains open source solutions on the Java platform for distribution to the public at no charge." Probably the best-known part of it is Tomcat. Tomcat 4 is the official Reference Implementation of the Servlet 2.3 and JavaServer Pages 1.2 technologies. The umbrella Jakarta name covers much more than that and has become something of a juggernaut by itself.
• SAX
• Gnome ORB (get right name)

Other

• Koffice - The KDE spin-off creating office applications which integrate with the KDE desktop; parts of which are now considered usable
• Evolution (Outlook Clone)
• Gnome Office - the Gnome office meta-project embracing a wealth of desktop packages. Some are very well developed (c.f Gimp), others much less so.
• Gnu Cash
• Ximian
• Mono
• Open .net

Appendices

News Sources

• Linux Weekly News Extensive reporting of Open Source issues. From a commercial perspective, the signal-to-noise ratio is moderate because inevitably technical developments outnumber much in the way of serious commercial stories.
• The Register Mainstream IT and techical news site, slightly UK-centric but worldwide overall. Irreverent tone and unpompous. Focus more towards technical than business issues.
• Linux Today general news site covering Open Source matters, attempting to give commercial as well as technical coverage.
• Slashdot Somewhat geeky technically oriented and slightly scurrilous or tongue-in-cheek news site with extensive coverage of Open Source and vaguely related topics, not focused on business issues

Software Directories and Information Sources

• Freshmeat - monstrous repository of open-source software projects
• SourceForge - the place where developers congregate for the majority of open-source projects. Supports the CVS repositories and a wealth of other resources
• Tucows - well-respected Linux-oriented source of applications and games for (mostly free or shareware) download
• GNU.org

Other Open-Source software

Closed Source But Runs On OS Platforms

• Databases
  • Oracle
  • Informix
  • DB2
• Development Tools
  • Java (general)
  • Borland
    • Kylix
    • Jbuilder
    • C++ Builder
    • Websphere
• Office
  • Bynari
  • Domino

Links

References

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