Open Source Software: New and Noteworthy Presented September 30, 2004 SwANH InfoXChange Conference...

Open Source Software:New and Noteworthy

Presented September 30, 2004SwANH InfoXChange Conference

By Gregory C. Larkin

© 2004 SourceHosting.net, LLC www.sourcehosting.net

Today’s Presentation

• Agenda– Introduction– Software project elements– New open-source tools– Final thoughts– More information


Who am I?

• Greg Larkin, founder and owner of SourceHosting.net, LLC (Hollis, NH)– Software engineer since 1989– Open-source software user since 1990– Independent consultant since 1996– Founded SourceHosting.net in 2000


Some Elements of a Software Project

• Deployment platform• Source code control system• Database engine• Portability library• Virtual machine


Deployment Platform

• Popular BSD variants– FreeBSD (general purpose server)– OpenBSD (firewall or router box)

• FreeBSD advantages– It’s UNIX and more mature than Linux– It’s an entire system with a unified

distribution– High performance and stable– Ports system has ~12000 applications


Source Code Control System

• Subversion– “A compelling replacement for CVS”– Builds on the CVS working model– Directory and file renaming support– Atomic commits– WebDAV support via Apache– Eclipse integration and a variety of clients– Currently under heavy development


Database Engine

• Derby (formerly Cloudscape)– Open-sourced by IBM– Part of the Apache Incubator Project– Pure Java database– Embeddable or network-enabled– Small application footprint– Supports indexes, triggers and transactions


Portability Library

• Apache Portable Runtime– Consistent C programming on multiple

platforms– Version 1.0 just released– Apache web server is built on APR– Large variety of types and functions:

• File I/O• Network communication• C++ style string management• Thread management


Virtual Machine

• Mono 1.0– Adds UNIX deployment option to .NET– Provides:

• C# source code compiler• .NET-compatible libraries and runtime• Disassembler and other tools

– Not 100% spec complete, but very close– C# support is stable, VB.NET is coming– “100% .NET” applications work best– Integrate with Apache via mod_mono


Caveats and Advice

• Open-source software is not better by definition

• Open-source software is not completely free

• What is the long-term impact on the development process?

• Stick with the “name brands”


More Information

http://www.sourcehosting.net/swanh.php


Q & A Session

Gregory C. LarkinFounder

SourceHosting.net, LLCPO Box 1013

Hollis, NH 03049(603) 465-2955

[email protected]://www.sourcehosting.net/

Open Source Software: New and Noteworthy Presented September 30, 2004 SwANH InfoXChange Conference...

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