Open source is a software license for products developed by groups of individuals who want to collaborate to achieve a common goal. New projects are started daily within the open source community. A developer may need the functionality of a specific piece of software for his website. But in reluctance to buy the software, and the obvious need to develop it himself (most often for a client)he will find other developers who need the same functionality. They will then as a team begin developing the new software with an Open Source license. All the members of the team benefit from the experiences and work of the others. The development community as a whole then benefits from this new creation. Members of the development team will often come and go as they work on their own projects and careers, but very quickly the new software will often develop further. New improvements, upgrades, and bug fixes will result from the group effort, and as long as there is a need for the software, it will continue to evolve.
Fortune 500 companies such as Novel have seen the power of the open source development model and have latched on as a result. Novel for instance develops a product called SUSE Linux. Now you may have heard the term Linux from some tech head, most people still don't know what it is. Linux is an Operating System like Windows or Mac OS. The difference is that Linux is developed Open Source and is light years ahead of microsoft when it comes to functionality, stability, and security. The website your reading now is probably hosted on a computer running Linux. Most of the internet is hosted on machines that use Linux.
Back to the story, SUSE is Novel's version of Linux. They work with the open source community and help to develop a very good version of Linux. The software receives fortune 500 level testing and development, and the open source community benefits as a whole. Novel then offers its SUSE for free as a download, or you can purchase support from novel while using its product and receive a DVD with the software. Novel sells a lot of SUSE, and the open source community benefits by working with such a reputable and stable company.
So now that you understand what open source is, it may be dawning on you how it fits with the Non-Profit community.
Open Source is for the benefit of the community as a whole. No one person makes all of the profit from the product, but thousands of people make a living helping people save money using open source products.
Non Profits are similar in that they have a community vision or mission that does not directly correspond to a bottom line. Unlike Microsoft, who does help the community by developing the economy. Open Source and Non-Profit ventures directly impact the community by their very nature.
Open Source is a viable option for Non Profit organizations.
About The Author Aaron Mills is currently working for Integrity Services in Washington DC as a technology consultant. He helps to better equip non-profit organizations to use technology.
