What Is Opensource Software And How Is It Used In Web Site Design
It is important to understand what is opensource software and how is it used in web site design to improve your task management and production processes. There are plenty of open source applications that can help you tremendously as a web designer. Open source software was preceded by free software. Later a group of people agitated for the change of title. It is then that the word open source software came up. This latter name was thought to be more in agreement with the business sector and less equivocal. However, there still is a forum called free software. The word open source was meant to be trademarked, but it was rejected because it was too descriptive. The term is now used to describe other things other than software, like ecological platforms.
Due to all the economic woes in the world, it is necessary to cut costs. This can be done by avoiding expensive programs. The open source ones may not be as fascinating as the rest, but they work just like them. There even better because they run on a number of platforms.
In several aspects, open source software is different from free software. It is more development oriented while the latter is a social network. Free software explains the element of freedom of the consumer, while open source emphasizes on the accessibility of its contents. However, they both describe platforms that are free from the bureaucracy that comes with licensing restrictions.
The free software movement began in 1985. In this case, the word free was meant to mean freedom of distribution and not from cost. It was however misunderstood and the latter interpretation was applied. This did not make any economic sense. An open source movement was then established by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens. They presented a strong case for it as opposed to closed forums for software development.
It is a platform where developers publish their work in a way that it can be accessed by others who would want to study it. It is also so that anybody can come up with a similar product or improve the present one. It is open to any changes by the users. It can be shared and even be used for businesses purposes without any limitations.
Its adoption is widely accepted because of several reasons. It offers increased security, affordability, and transparency. This is so because it is open to everyone. However the best thing about it, is its perpetuity. This is because it is very open to improvements, so it keeps getting better. Whenever this option is being exercised, the local authorities have to analyze the above issues and ensure they are protected.
When one wants to exercise this, he or she has to obtain a license. The most popular of these licenses is the General Public License. This allows circulation of the original software. This is qualified by the fact that any new software developed must be under the same original license. This enables people to have access without compromising the law on intellectual property. In fact, it is very often developed publicly and with contribution of other people. Due to its cheap access, it saves a lot of resources for the consumers.
Its materials are developed and maintained by volunteers. There are many products widely in use today that are of this format. These include the android applications used in mobile phone technology. This is derived from the Unix-like operating system. The internet browser Mozilla Firefox and osCommerce are other projects. Firefox is very good in itself. However, when merged with its plugins, the browser is a great web development tool.
Its subscribers are treated like co-owners. They are encouraged to submit their contributions to the content. This way, any bugs are observed on time are cured before they cause any damage. It is said that when subjected to many eyeballs, bugs are shallow. When one is short of money and still wishes to participate in web design, they can go for this. This is possible whether one is in Windows or Mac OS x or even a Linus OS. Due to its availability, it is very convenient for users.
Some of the available sites include the most widely used. One of these is the Mozilla Firefox. It is easily the best browser available, efficient and fast. Better still, the browser is free and widely accessible. Another is Google Chrome which can be downloaded to use for testing services. Others include WYSIWIG which is really the starting point for web design. Code editor, FTP client and Image editing are just more examples.
Web development has become an important part of the learning process. It has enormous open source libraries. There are several ideas that have revolutionized the web and graphic design sector over the last several years. Most of these are open source products. They include the following, Response Interface Design which enhances quick response to keyboard and mouse inputs. Touchscreen Mobile Devices that are very widely used today in the smart phone revolution are also a product of this.
Nvu is an example of a free web editor. It may not be similar to Dream weaver or SharePoint. It allows one to edit code and design at the best time. Another thing is that it allows one to work on web design elements without referring to the codes, as is usually the case with other websites. The GIMP is a free graphics program that can be used in coming up any graphic designs. It can also be used to edit such designs. The program is very similar to Adobe Photoshop, the only difference being that it is open source. Audio editing is also provided by open source through a program called Audacity. When documents are saved in the word format, Open office is a renowned open source editor and works just like Microsoft office. The best thing about it, it is free.
The applications are used very widely by people of all occupations. These include students, web designers, graphic designers and any individuals who wish to carry out research on different subjects. The above clearly explains what is opensource software and how is it used in web site design.