Photo by Alex Knight

When it comes to open source software (OSS), there are a lot of different resources online and in print that try to answer any and all of your questions. Some of those resources are reliable and trusted while others can be a bit misleading. We at Code.gov can understand that navigating the Federal Source Code Policy and OSS could be a bit confusing, especially if someone on your team “knows someone that has a cousin that knows a developer from an online forum that heard about OSS…” and pass along some misinformation.

This is why we at Code.gov are here to shed some light on serious misconceptions about OSS.

Myth: All open source software is Linux.

Fact: When people mentioned OSS, the quick and common assumption about it is that OSS only runs on the Linux operating system. It is a quick and easy assumption to make as many open source programs are made with Linux availability as a prime motivator. While open source and Linux are often seen together, open source applications are not exclusive to it. OSS projects are written for Windows and Macintosh operating systems as well, not just for Linux. OSS works on platforms beyond these three as well which makes sense as OSS, at its core, is for everyone.

Myth: OSS does not work together seamlessly with proprietary software.

Fact: This particular myth is perpetuated by — wait for it — software developers. Simply put, this is not true. Open source is not, nor ever has been, meant to compete with proprietary code. Of late, many software developers are incorporating open source into new software packages in order to have OSS integrate smoothly with operating systems and other applications. Granted, as with any software, incompatibilities such as differences in data formats or other areas can happen; but OSS integration can happen so long as the development is there.

Photo by Andre Hunter

Myth: OSS is developed by students and enthusiasts and not “real” developers.

Fact: Here are just a few developers involved in developing OSS:

Open Virtualization Alliance (OVA)

OpenStack

OpenPOWER (a collaboration of IBM, Google, Mellanox, Tyan, and NVIDIA)Microsoft

OSS development nurtures innovation.

Many open source enthusiasts and computer science students make pull requests and develop extensions and add-ons for projects, but development is not necessarily limited to grassroots movements.

Myth: OSS is less secure than proprietary software.

Fact: The truth about security in any kind of software, open source or otherwise, is that security can be either good or bad depending on its development. Proprietary software can be insecure. OSS can be more secure than other software packages. This is where OSS benefits from a community of many perspectives interested in its development. Supporters of a project are pulling from a wider base of knowledge, all invested in the quality and overall security of the project. When it comes to security, it is a priority to always have your data protected, and as the source code is distributed freely, anyone can work on making it secure.

Myth: OSS is a legal, licensing, and copyright nightmare.

Fact: “Protecting” software is complicated from the start as you can use patents, licenses, and copyrights. It can all get a bit confusing when to use which, and still preserve the open source aspect of the project. How can something be open and yet be protected? A bit of a conundrum, isn’t it? Open source utilizes a variety of licenses that keep the project available to the public while still employing legal protections of copyright and patents.

The concept of open source protection is that while the code behind a given program is made available to the public, the program itself is granted certain licenses to make sure the program itself is protected from theft. Certain licenses permit you a lot of creative leeway with code, but in the end it’s your responsibility to understand what you can and cannot do, what you should and should not do.

Photo by Petr Macháček

Myth: There is no support for OSS.

Fact: When you think about this misconception in context to the size of the open source community (spoiler alert: it’s a global movement), it’s hard to figure out where this originated from. Support for open source software works differently from what people expect from other kinds of technical support for commercial software. In fact, open source programs give you more options for support as help can come from anywhere in the world. The best way to describe technical support with OSS would be “It takes a village…” as developers make themselves readily available to help.

Myth: OSS is not scalable.

Fact: Open source software may not have been initially designed to be scalable, especially on a corporate level; but OSS has evolved in many ways to where it is comparable with popular, commercial options. This also includes scalability. With today’s OSS, developers have been able to adapt projects to scale effortlessly from small, single-user endeavors to full, corporate networks. Examples of some successful OSS projects include Apache, ZFSonLinux, and WordPress. Another way that OSS remains scalable is how many dev teams and experts from OSS projects being implemented into your business are accessible when problems occur. What was once a truth, today’s OSS is the definition of scalability.

Myth: No one gets paid for developing OSS.

Fact: It is boldly assumed that if software is free (as many OSS projects are), then all aspects of the software are free. This includes the work that developers invest into these projects. This is simply not true. Yes, many OSS projects are passion projects for dev teams, but these developers are not necessarily working for free. Developing software pro bono is not a necessary attribute for working with open source. In fact, if OSS becomes a regular part of day-to-day operations, corporations will sponsor the project’s coders to ensure funding for it.

Photo by Markus Spiske

Myth: OSS is chaotic, undocumented and unrefined code.

Fact: OSS projects are regarded as “development by committee” as input on OSS projects come from the community, but this is far from the truth. Yes, when classified as open source, projects can thrive through public contributions in pull requests, but all pull requests are vetted and approved by project managers. Contributions are tested, considered, and then approved; but pull requests do not always have to be merged. Contributions can be denied. This doesn’t mean the process is perfect. Project managers can disagree of merges, disagree on the direction of a project, or simply have a falling out. This is when things can go south with an OSS project. Communication between project managers is key in avoiding this.

Myth: OSS is not enterprise-level software.

Fact: What exactly is enterprise software? An oversimplified definition of enterprise is a stable product serving the needs and demands of a large organization. OSS’s license determines how your organization uses the software, and corporate-friendly toolsets like Javascript, SQL, and Ruby on Rails are common with OSS projects. Similarly, scalability (which we covered earlier) is easily done with OSS projects.

Then there are those large, enterprise-driven corporations that all utilize open source:

Department of Defense

New York Stock Exchange

Amazon

Google

National Security Agency

General Services Administration

Virgin America

Dreamworks

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

These are only a few of many global corporations that use open source software and enterprise to carry out daily operations.

These are only ten things you might hear about open source that we at Code.gov want to set straight. There is a lot of bad press and jumps to conclusions about OSS, but open source is far more versatile and far more reliable than many think it is. We are constantly working to bring more code from federal agencies to taxpayers, making America’s code as accessible as possible. Working through misleading assumptions about open source can provide challenges that are easily overcome. All you have to do is ask. What questions do you have about open source? What are some misconceptions you know about concerning OSS? Reach out to us on Twitter or LinkedIn, and let’s talk. We would love to help you find out more.

Code on.