Open Source Forum|

Author: srimanigandan

Proprietary software is computer software on which the producer has set restrictions on use, private modification, copying, or republishing. Similar terms include “closed-source software” and “non-free software”. Proprietors may enforce restrictions by technical means, such as by restricting source code access, or by legal means, such as through copyright and patents.

Open source software (OSS) began as a marketing campaign for free software. OSS can be defined as computer software for which the human-readable source code is made available under a copyright license (or arrangement such as the public domain) that meets the Open Source Definition. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user generated content. A report by Standish Group says that adoption of open source has caused a drop in revenue to the proprietary software industry by about $60 billion per year.
It may be argued that open source software has, in recent years, begun to move into the mainstream marketplace previously dominated by “shrink-wrapped” products such as Microsoft’s Windows operating system and Office productivity suite. The most often cited examples of alternative open source applications include the Linux operating system , the OpenOffice suite (formerly Sun’s Star Office, www.openoffice.org) and Mozilla’s Firefox web browser (www.mozilla.org).

The web browser market is entirely dominated by Microsoft, with its Internet Explorer accounting for between 90-95% of the most popular browsers over the last couple of years It is difficult to say what the future holds for open source software. On the one hand, the financial might and marketing scruples of the proprietary software giants, such as Microsoft, would seem to suggest that open source alternatives will remain just that ¬ an alternative to the dominant proprietary offerings. On the other hand, the increased interest in, and awareness of, open source can only bode well for its future proliferation

Source: articlesbase.com

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I remember before, when computers were expensive and heavy - when only big companies were rich enough to afford it. Those were the days when computers were completely unknown to the public but then, the internet now has changed all that. The more number of people that want to get competitive in the cyber world, the better the computers get and the support that comes with it. Now, all you need to do is to maximize the way that you use your computer, would you consider to, say, earn money online with it as well?

It is not a wonder to many nowadays that computers have had made great influences on how we live our life today. Computers have also changed the very basic of routine that people do in a daily basis. If you are going to ask, has it changed the way people make money and grow business? It’s a hundred percent yes! Look at all the huge companies going offshore. However, the great benefit is evidently seen on the way people handle internet marketing. It may not sound as if it could offer everything a business entrepreneur at first use, but hey, internet marketing has become a huge means for those who rely on the internet for their business. In addition, this is still an understatement of the huge evolution in business marketing today.

Open Source Forum
Jeremy Allison Lead Developer, Samba
Mitchell Baker Chief Lizard Wrangler for Mozilla.org, Netscape Communications
James Barry Product Manager, IBM HTTP Servers & Websphere Standard Edition
Mark Bolzern CEO, Linux Mall.com
Wayne Caccamo Director, Open Source Solutions Operation, Hewlett-Packard
Craig Cline Editorial Advisor, Seybold Publications
Ken Coar Vice President, Conference Planning, Apache Software Foundation
Quinn Coldiron Database Administrative Developer, REAL LAB, University of Nebraska
John Desmond Editor, Software Magazine
Jonathan Eunice President, Illuminata
Roy Fielding Chairman, Apache Software Foundation
Daniel Frye Pgrm. Dir., Open Source & Linux Software Grp., IBM Corporation
Nick Gall VP & Director, Open Computing and Server Strategie, META Group
James Geisman President, Marketshare, Inc.
Stuart Green Managing Director, Tiger Testing, Inc.
Michael Guttman Chief Technology Officer, Genesis Development
Dick Hardt CEO, ActiveState Tool Corp.
Chris Herrnberger President, Linux Studio
Jim Johnson President, The Standish Group
Eugene Kim Technology Editor, Dr. Dobbs Journal
Cameron Laird Principal, Phaseit, Inc.
David Linthicum Chief Technology Officer, SAGA
Ransom H. Love President and CEO, Caldera Systems, Inc.
Kirk McKusick Computer Scientist, Marshall Kirk McKusick Consulting
Robert McMillan Executive Editor, Linux Magazine
Russell Nelson President, Crynwr Software
Tim O’Reilly Founder & CEO, O’Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Mark Orr Co-Founder and VP of Business Development, Cobalt Networks, Inc.
Sameer Parekh Chairman, C2Net
Jeetu Patel VP of Research & CTO, Doculabs
Christine Peterson Executive Director, Foresight Institute
William Peterson Analyst, IDC
Stacey Quandt Analyst, Giga Information Group
Eric S. Raymond President, Open Source Initiative
Don Rosenberg Business Development, Stromian Technologies
Darrin Sherrill President, Multiuser
David Sims Technical Manager-Information Technology, Schlumberger Limited
Jon Stevens Co-founder, Web Engineer, Clear Ink
Matthew Szulik President, Red Hat Software, Inc.
John Taves President, Pacific Northwest Software
Michael Tiemann Founder, Cygnus Solutions
Mike Tognoli Product Marketing Manager, Hewlett-Packard Software Services Division
Marc Torres President, SuSE, Inc.
Arthur Tyde President, LinuxCare
Stephen Vaughan-Nichols Senior Technology Editor, Sm@rt Reseller
Paul Vixie Chairman, Internet Software Consortium
Miguel de Icaza Educator, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacio

Index of Programs, Tracks & Sessions

Keynotes

* Opening Keynote - The Magic Cauldron - Economics & Business Models for Open Source Computing
* Keynote: Open Source in the Commercial Market: Understanding and Preparing for the Shift
* Keynote: Linux-Ready for PrimeTime?
* Keynote: Linux in the Enterprise
* Keynote: Successful Business Models for Open Source

Technical Track

* Open Source Development Tools & Languages
* Progress Report on Apache
* Leveraging Linux for the Enterprise
* Linux, Open Source, Middleware and Components
* Evaluating the Performance of Open Source Alternatives
* Linux Desktop Futures: the Gnome Project

Business Track

* Open Source: When to Use It and When to Say No
* Price Comparison: Open Source vs. Traditional Software
* Industry Analyst Roundtable: Is Open Source for Real?
* Making a Business Case for Open Source
* Betting the Business on Open Source: Burlington Coat Factory
* Alternative Licensing Models for Open Source

Panels

* Panel: Open Source Creators Speak Out
* Panel: How to Support Open Source in the Enterprise
* Panel: Open Source Supplier Strategies
* Panel: Experiences with Linux vs. Windows NT Servers

The Open Source Forum-Linux in the Enterprise is a high-level, two-day conference focused on answering the question: Is open source a solution for the enterprise? The sessions will address the business and technical pros and cons of the open source software model.

The event audience will include enterprise IT management, corporate developers, and application development managers from medium and large businesses who may not presently be using open source software — but who need to understand the issues, evaluate the viability of open source, and develop strategies to support open source software within their organizations.

In addition, the event audience will also include ISVs, packaged applications software developers, and integrators/turnkey systems OEMs and resellers who are now evaluating open source business opportunities.

Linux is headline news these days, but is open source software like Linux right for you?

Open Source Forum-Linux in the Enterprise is a two-day IT executive conference focused on Linux and other emerging open source software and the implications of this new software on “mainstream” business applications development and the enterprise software industry.

Open Source Forum-Linux in the Enterprise — brought to you by Ziff-Davis — is the only event this year that will help you to assess the real potential for Linux and other open source software as a solution for your businesses. While other events on open source and Linux focus primarily on developers and the “open source community”; the Open Source Forum is designed for the enterprise IT management audience who needs to understand the business and technical issues of evaluating, implementing, and supporting open source software.

What you get: In addition to complete conference materials, attendees will receive a special PC Week report ‘Open Source Software in the Enterprise: Is It Really an Option?’. This report will explore the origins of open source software; describe key technologies; assess industry dynamics and the commercial infrastructure; And, highlight selected experiences of innovators. This special report will also contain the results of original research conducted by ZD on the adoption of open source in the enterprise.