Chapter 1: Introduction

Choosing and Using Free and Open Source Software: A Primer for Nonprofits

Written by Michelle Murrain

Published by NOSI (Nonprofit Open Source Initiative)

Reviewed by:Allen Gunn, Executive Director, AspirationAmanda Hickman, Steering Committee, NOSIChris Bailey, Coordinator of Advice for Life FOSS in the Voluntary and Community Sector projectGlenn McKnight, Director of Operations, Linux Professional InstituteJohn Kenyon, Nonprofit Technology StrategistDavid Geilhufe, Philanthropy Program Manager, NetSuiteDave Chakrabarti, Director of Programs, Grassroots.org'The original primer was funding by IBM International Foundation. This edition is supported by... 'On Demand Community', IBM's Volunteer Initiative.'
ﾩ 2007, Nonprofit Open Source Initiative. This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License:You are free:to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work to make derivative works under the following conditions:You must give the original authors credit, you may not use this work for commercial purposes, and if you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the author.

---

Chapter 1: IntroductionMany nonprofit organizations that once relied almost entirely on commercial software in their organizations are now beginning to implement the 'open source' or 'free software' alternative. Open Source, or Free Software refers to software distributed with the condition that anyone using it must have access to, and the ability to give away unlimited copies of, both the program and the source code that is needed to make changes to the program. We will use the term 'free and open source' (or FOSS) from now on, for software that is either (or both) 'free software' (free as in 'libre '- not just without cost) or 'open source.' Free and open source software is distinguished here from commercial software, also called proprietary software, where you cannot see, modify, or distribute the source code.When we first wrote this primer four years ago, few nonprofits had even heard of open source software, or Linux, and even fewer had adopted them. There was a real dearth of information available on free and open source software for the sector (which is why the original primer was written) and most free and open source software that nonprofits might implement weren't ready. In the four years since, there has been a sea change. More and more free and open source software is ready for nonprofit use, and many nonprofits have incorporated free and open source software in their work. Things have changed so much that the majority of nonprofits running dynamic websites use free and open source software to run those websites. Linux servers in the back offices of nonprofits are commonplace, and there are even some nonprofits that have converted to using Linux on the desktop.There is always room to grow. However, it is clear that nonprofits are finding free and open source software to be a secure, stable, and cost-effective way to solve a variety of their technology problems. In addition, it is easy to see why nonprofits are finding the community model of software development to be appealing. Social justice nonprofits have always struggled to build diverse coalitions based on shared resources and a commitment to strengthen the entire movement, rather than enriching an individual or single organization. Community development groups strongly advocate on behalf of community ownership of resources and property. The concept of community has always been of real importance to nonprofits seeking to build genuine relationships with the individuals and groups with which they work. In this updated primer, we examine how free and open source software is developed, how its costs and benefits are evaluated, how nonprofits are using it today, and we provide specific examples and resources. We also offer ideas on how to further advance the applicability of FOSS to the nonprofit sector, and discuss philosophical issues of FOSS and why it is such a good fit for the missions of many nonprofit organizations. Further, we provide a list of free and open source software that is ready to be used in organizations today, and a list of consultants and vendors that provide support for FOSS.