Free and Open Source Software Research Papers (original) (raw)

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is a software philosophy that provides the user liberty to access, examine, and modify its source codes, use it and deploy it free of charge. This concept of FOSS manifests many benefits for... more

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is a software philosophy that provides the user liberty to access, examine, and modify its source codes, use it and deploy it free of charge. This concept of FOSS manifests many benefits for organizations such as open innovation, competitive advantage, collaboration, and other strategic advantages, thus allowing organizations to custom fit software to their needs. However, these perceived benefits could be maximized if the issues and challenges faced by organizations adopting FOSS will be elucidated. The main thrust of this study is to conduct a baseline survey to aide Strategic IT planning and policy-making by determining the awareness, proficiency, the issues and challenges in using, managing and implementing FOSS in supporting organizational processes by IT managers and personnel in the business/industry, academic, and government sectors. The study used descriptive, inferential and exploratory research methods wherein qualified respondents were chosen using the combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The respondents were surveyed using a questionnaire. The results of the study showed that IT managers and personnel were totally aware of FOSS concepts and are highly proficient in the use of FOSS applications. Furthermore, it was revealed that qualification and selection of FOSS; Procurement of FOSS, human factors; legal issues; usability; and software development and support are the main issues and challenges. The study also revealed that IT personnel from the public/government sectors in the Philippines experience the most difficulties with the issues and challenges in the use of FOSS.

O objetivo do trabalho é apresentar uma série de softwares de código aberto e software livre úteis para empresas, que atenderão e auxiliarão os clientes, funcionários e os administradores, descrevendo suas funcionalidades,... more

O objetivo do trabalho é apresentar uma série de softwares de código aberto e software livre úteis para empresas, que atenderão e auxiliarão os clientes, funcionários e os administradores, descrevendo suas funcionalidades, características, licenciamento e como colaboram como soluções de boa qualidade. Tais informações serão obtidas por meio de referências bibliográficas em monografias, dissertações, artigos, textos com conteúdo referente à software livre e software de código aberto, e referências técnicas dos fabricantes e colaboradores dos softwares descritos neste trabalho. Os resultados comprovam que existem muitos softwares de código aberto e software livre com diversas funcionalidades e características que atendem grande parte das demandas empresariais, colaborando para a produtividade. Pode-se concluir que os softwares de código aberto e o software livre estão amadurecidos e estáveis e que suas diversas regras de negócios fazem com que suas contribuições sejam aproveitadas por toda a comunidade, tornando-os um grande potencial econômico em todos os segmentos.

As it provides a firm foundation for advancing knowledge, a solid literature review is a critical feature of any academic investigation. Yet, there are several challenges in performing literature reviews including: i) lack of access to... more

As it provides a firm foundation for advancing knowledge, a solid literature review is a critical feature of any academic investigation. Yet, there are several challenges in performing literature reviews including: i) lack of access to the literature because of costs, ii) fracturing of the literature into many sources, lack of access and comprehensive coverage in many databases and search engines, and iii) the use of proprietary software lock-in strategies for bibliographic software, which can make porting literature reviews between organizations cumbersome and costly. These challenges often result in poor quality literature reviews completed by a single researcher unfamiliar with the approaches to the same research in other sub-fields and static reviews that are often lost to the scientific community. In this paper, an open source approach will be expanded to the application of improving the quality of literature reviews by providing best practices. Although there are many types and goals of literature reviews, it is found that all of them can be improved using a tool chain of free and open source software (FOSS) and methods. Specifically, this paper will provide a clear framework for i) comprehensive searching and obtaining access to the literature, ii) the use of FOSS for all steps including browsing, bibliographic software, and writing and iii) documenting a literature review to encourage collaboration of a dynamic document that lives into the future. This approach solves the current challenges of literature reviews and provides benefits of lower labor and economic costs, improved researcher control, and increased potential for collaboration. Finally, the challenges of using this approach and methods to overcome them are reviewed and future work is described.

Multi-stage counter current solid-liquid extraction usually results in a high concentration of soluble components (= solutes) in the extract (so in a high recovery % R), and in a low concentration of solutes in the discarded spent solids... more

Multi-stage counter current solid-liquid extraction usually results in a high concentration of soluble components (= solutes) in the extract (so in a high recovery % R), and in a low concentration of solutes in the discarded spent solids (so in a low loss % F).
This Excel file estimates the required number of counter current extraction stages N and the related mass of solvent V, the % solute recovery R and the solute mass% yTOTAL in the extract, the % solute loss F and the solute mass% xN in the discarded spent solids.
In a counter current extraction installation, the solid product and the solvent move in opposite directions. The "fresh" solid product starts in extraction stage 1, moves to extraction stage 2, then to stage 3, .... and so to the last stage N. In each consecutive stage, the solid product will be a bit more depleted by the solvent, which moves in the opposite direction. After passing through the last stage N, the (almost) completely depleted solid will be discarded. The "fresh" solvent, however, enters in that last extraction stage (N), moves to extraction stage N-1, then to stage N-2, ... and so to stage 1. In each consecutive counter current stage, the solutes concentration in the solvent increases. After passing through stage 1, the then heavily loaded solvent is removed from the installation as the “extract”.
If a solid product considerably swells or shrinks during extraction, process design requires tedious stage-to-stage mass balances, or graphical calculations. This Excel document, however, uses simplified Kremser equations: it assumes a constant mass L of the solid product throughout the installation, and also a constant mass V of the solution. Thus this document should be applied only for solid products which do NOT swell, NOR shrink during extraction; or for solid products which have been pre-soaked (= swollen) PRIOR to extraction.
Some 5 worked examples explain how to use the Excel worksheets. Each example has also been solved by manually applying the Kremser graphs and the Kremser equations.

The use of dental information system provides an advantage over the use of paper-based patient records in terms of improved access, reduced cost, reduced frequency of errors, more reliable and refined basis for outcomes management and... more

The use of dental information system provides an advantage over the use of paper-based patient records in terms of improved access, reduced cost, reduced frequency of errors, more reliable and refined basis for outcomes management and decision support and, data protection and security. But acquisition cost and reliability of technology have been some of the major issues in adopting information technology in dental practice. The increasing development and availability of free and open source software (FOSS) for dental information system have started to address these concerns providing an affordable and reliable alternative.

Software has become a strategic societal resource in the last few decades. The emergence of Free Software, which has entered in major sectors of the Information ICT market, is drastically changing the economics of software development and... more

Software has become a strategic societal resource in the last few decades. The emergence of Free Software, which has entered in major sectors of the Information ICT market, is drastically changing the economics of software development and usage. Free Software – sometimes also referred to as “Open Source” or “Libre Software” – can be used, studied, copied, modified and distributed freely. It offers the freedom to learn and to teach without engaging in dependencies on any single technology provider. These freedoms are considered a fundamental precondition for sustainable development and an inclusive information society.
Although there is a growing interest in free technologies (including Free Software and Open Standards), still a limited number of people have sufficient knowledge and expertise in these fields. The FTA attempts to respond to this demand.

In Spanish Universities, free and open-source software (FOSS) is widely used in technical areas because of its usability, adaptability and low cost. Conversely, the use of these tools in the field of translator training has been minimal... more

In Spanish Universities, free and open-source software (FOSS) is widely used in technical areas because of its usability, adaptability and low cost. Conversely, the use of these tools in the field of translator training has been minimal despite the existence of suitable softwre specifically developed for translation activities, such as OmegaT, Anaphraseus, bitext2tmx, Sun Open Language Tools, ForeignDesk or Transolution. This chapter describes a particular research effort focused on testing the usability and applicability to translatino training of free and open-source translation memory managers and text aligners with different text types and genres.

The 3D reconstruction of real-world heritage objects using either a laser scanner or 3D modelling software is typically expensive and requires a high level of expertise. Image-based 3D modelling software, on the other hand, offers a... more

The 3D reconstruction of real-world heritage objects using either a laser scanner or 3D modelling software is typically expensive and requires a high level of expertise. Image-based 3D modelling software, on the other hand, offers a cheaper alternative, which can handle this task with relative ease. There also exists free and open source (FOSS) software, with the potential to deliver quality data for heritage documentation purposes. However, contemporary academic discourse seldom presents survey-based feature lists or a critical inspection of potential production pipelines, nor typically provides direction and guidance for non-experts who are interested in learning, developing and sharing 3D content on a restricted budget. To address the above issues, a set of FOSS were studied based on their offered features, workflow, 3D processing time and accuracy. Two datasets have been used to compare and evaluate the FOSS applications based on the point clouds they produced. The average deviation to ground truth data produced by a commercial software application (Metashape, formerly called PhotoScan) was used and measured with CloudCompare software. 3D reconstructions generated from FOSS produce promising results, with significant accuracy, and are easy to use. We believe this investigation will help non-expert users to understand the photogrammetry and select the most suitable software for producing image-based 3D models at low cost for visualisation and presentation purposes.

Distributed digital manufacturing of free and open-source scientific hardware (FOSH) used for scientific experiments has been shown to in general reduce the costs of scientific hardware by 90–99%. In part due to these cost savings, the... more

Distributed digital manufacturing of free and open-source scientific hardware (FOSH) used for scientific experiments has been shown to in general reduce the costs of scientific hardware by 90–99%. In part due to these cost savings, the manufacturing of scientific equipment is beginning to move away from a central paradigm of purchasing proprietary equipment to one in which scientists themselves download open-source designs, fabricate components with digital manufacturing technology, and then assemble the equipment themselves. This trend introduces a need for new formal design procedures that designers can follow when targeting this scientific audience. This study provides five steps in the procedure, encompassing six design principles for the development of free and open-source hardware for scientific applications. A case study is provided for an open-source slide dryer that can be easily fabricated for under $20, which is more than 300 times less than some commercial alternatives. The bespoke design is parametric and easily adjusted for many applications. By designing using open-source principles and the proposed procedures, the outcome will be customizable, under control of the researcher, less expensive than commercial options, more maintainable, and will have many applications that benefit the user since the design documentation is open and freely accessible.

L'essor récent des logiciels distribués sous licences libres a favorisé la création des communautés. Ces communautés développent des applications pour des travaux dans divers domaines scientifiques au rang desquels ceux où les données à... more

L'essor récent des logiciels distribués sous licences libres a favorisé la création des communautés. Ces communautés développent des applications pour des travaux dans divers domaines scientifiques au rang desquels ceux où les données à références spatiales sont gérées. Ces applications ont des avantages indéniables pour le développement technologique et scientifique en Afrique. La présente communication ressort l'intérêt de la mise en place d'une base de données urbaine à partir des applications libres de géomatique. Elles permettent l'acquisition, l'intégration et l'exploitation des données spatiales. Une illustration est faite à partir des données sur la ville de Ngaoundéré au Cameroun. Mots-clés : donnée à référence spatiale, donnée urbaine, géomatique, logiciel libre, Ngaoundéré. Abstract The recent boom of free software allowed the creation of many communities who develop applications for different scientific fields. Between them, the ones dealing with spatial data. The advantages given by those applications are numerous for the technological and scientific development in Africa. This paper presents the necessity of putting in place an urban database to manage decentralized collectivities. We focus on various free geomatics software applications, programming languages and majors steps needed to put in place such a database. We end the paper with an illustration on Ngaoundere (in Cameroon) data.

article Geographic Information tools(GItools)havebecome an essentialcomponentof research in landscape ecology. In this article we review the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and GI tools in landscape ecology, with an emphasis... more

article Geographic Information tools(GItools)havebecome an essentialcomponentof research in landscape ecology. In this article we review the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and GI tools in landscape ecology, with an emphasis on free and open source software (FOSS) projects. Specifically, we introduce the background and terms related to the free and open source software movement, then compare eight FOSS desktop

The domain of cultural heritage is on the verge of adopting immersive technologies; not only to enhance user experience and interpretation but also to satisfy the more enthusiastic and tech-savvy visitors and audiences. However,... more

The domain of cultural heritage is on the verge of adopting immersive technologies; not only to enhance user experience and interpretation but also to satisfy the more enthusiastic and tech-savvy visitors and audiences. However, contemporary academic discourse seldom provides any clearly defined and versatile workflows for digitising 3D assets from photographs and deploying them to a scalable 3D mixed reality (MxR) environment; especially considering non-experts with limited budgets. In this paper, a collection of open access and proprietary software and services are identified and combined via a practical workflow which can be used for 3D reconstruction to MxR visualisation of cultural heritage assets. Practical implementations of the methodology has been substantiated through workshops and par-ticipants' feedback. This paper aims to be helpful to non-expert but enthusiastic users (and the GLAM sector) to produce image-based 3D models, share them online, and allow audiences to experience 3D content in a MxR environment.

Most of the process models so far have been introduced in the domain of software engineering are meant for proprietary software. Though, in the case of open source software development, the popular Bazaar model can be mentioned, it has... more

Most of the process models so far have been introduced in the domain of software engineering are meant for proprietary software. Though, in the case of open source software development, the popular Bazaar model can be mentioned, it has some limitations too. The present research has attempted to formulate a process model for developing a software project exclusively for the open source paradigm. We have named it " Unified Software Development Model for Free/Open Source (USDM) ". Not only we have introduced USDM, we have also validated this new model by initiating a project on Bangla pre-processor in the domain of open source development.

ABSTRACT This paper examines differences of using proprietary software and free software in electronic governance from an economic point of view. The paper identifies and highlights key areas in network economy, where free and open source... more

ABSTRACT This paper examines differences of using proprietary software and free software in electronic governance from an economic point of view. The paper identifies and highlights key areas in network economy, where free and open source software can drastically cut ...

E-governance is a process which helps to provide government services to the citizens as earlier as possible through technology without visiting government offices. Therefore by using this system government activities will speed up... more

E-governance is a process which helps to provide government services to the citizens as earlier as possible through technology without visiting government offices. Therefore by using this system government activities will speed up dramatically. In everyday activities, e-governance applications are becoming part of every citizen's life and in the wide spread of e-governance, it is quite obvious to notice that there are many applications of e-governance which help the human race in their daily life. The major ingredients of e-governance are Connectivity, Information, Skill set, Budget. The cost of software is the major obstacle in introducing novel beneficial e-governance applications, this can be mitigated using free and Open Source Software. The term free and open source refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible. Open source can be seen as a technical expression of democratic government as open source is a result of public accessibility, open exchange and collaborative participation. It thrives on transparency and community development and Free and open source software promotes savings, security, scalability, interoperability to create better future. The paper provides an analysis on why governments should use open source and why government should invest in open source to let the citizens enjoy the real fruits of e-Governance applications.

The twentieth century, especially the 90s, were the period of greatest growth for the Geographic Information Systems, although this growth still remains, as we witness the increasingly frequent appearance of new tools, both commercial and... more

The twentieth century, especially the 90s, were the period of greatest growth for the Geographic Information Systems, although this growth still remains, as we witness the increasingly frequent appearance of new tools, both commercial and open source.
The expansion of cities in recent decades led to the development of new road access, which accompanied with the economic improvement of households, led to the exponential increase in car use. The public transportation was slow to adapt and became insufficient to fulfill the majority of commuting demands.
This work addresses the GIS applied to transport using open source software and Python programming language, presenting some analysis methodologies, in order to examine the public transportation in Porto city.
The analysis of public transportation focused in the Andante network, a multimodal tariff serving the city. The spatial coverage and the existing transport offer from the GIS representation, showed which areas have scarce services of public transport, both in Porto and in neighboring municipalities.
The individual approach to the main transport interfaces within the Porto city allowed the analysis of their spatial coverage and their importance to the adjacent municipalities, analyzing the population covered by each of those interfaces.
The comparison of the impedance between individual and public transport allowed us to realize which areas are more dependent to private vehicles.

“Free software” is software that respects the users’ freedoms by granting them access to the source code, and allowing them to modify and redistribute the software at will. Richard Stallman, founder of the Free software movement, has... more

“Free software” is software that respects the users’ freedoms by granting them access to the source code, and allowing them to modify and redistribute the software at will. Richard Stallman, founder of the Free software movement, has argued that creating and distributing non-Free software is always a moral injustice. In this essay, I try to identify the ethical foundations of Stallmanism. I identify three major trends in Stallman’s thinking—libertarian, utilitarian, and communitarian—and I argue that none is sufficient to justify the radical claim that distributing non-Free software is always wrong (unless we accept extremely demanding ethical standards that Stallman himself does not consistently endorse). I recommend thinking of Stallmanism as an attempt to optimize the satisfaction of a number of core values, including freedom, cooperation, and happiness, and I stress the importance of connecting the Free software movement to other political struggles against oppression.

An expeditious transformation is taking place in the edification sector, where more of online and technical mode of communication is being habituated vis-à-vis traditional approach. Many online platforms are adopted by the erudition... more

An expeditious transformation is taking place in the edification sector, where more of online and technical mode of communication is being habituated vis-à-vis traditional approach. Many online platforms are adopted by the erudition givers to edify the target audience. This Research paper focuses on the Free and Open Source Learning Management System (LMS) MOODLE for knowledge sharing and assessment there are multiple LMS available today with the incrementation in demand, however, in this study, the researcher has fixated on the role of MOODLE LMS for imparting cognizance from an educator's perspective.

Abstract: Free and Open Source Software (F/oss) is widespread today. F/oss is primarily a movement that permits access to software source code, and, en- compasses a software development paradigm that harnesses the efforts of a dis-... more

Abstract: Free and Open Source Software (F/oss) is widespread today. F/oss is primarily a movement that permits access to software source code, and, en- compasses a software development paradigm that harnesses the efforts of a dis- tributed community. F/oss is not simply a computer science phenomenon, but also a social, economic and legal one. The goal of this survey paper

This study is part of an ongoing comparative study of various types of open software communities including both free and open source software projects. This study examines how the organizational cultural beliefs and values of a free... more

This study is part of an ongoing comparative study of various types of open software communities including both free and open source software projects. This study examines how the organizational cultural beliefs and values of a free software virtual organization influence software development processes. It provides examples that illustrate the importance of personal motivation and a sense of working as a team in the perpetuation of a virtual work community. It presents the world of the GNUenterprise.org project as a virtual organizational culture that embodies the beliefs of free software and freedom of choice, and the values of community building and cooperative work. A close study of this project shows how these beliefs and values are manifested in software development methods, artifacts, and tool choice, as well as how dispersed developers cooperate and resolve conflict in a virtual community. Data collection includes the content analysis of Internet Relay Chat archives; kernel c...

En la cúspide de la economía capitalista mundial, las cinco mayores empresas están relacionadas con las tecnologías de la información. Paradójicamente en dicho sector un modelo colaborativo como el software libre ocupa una posición... more

En la cúspide de la economía capitalista mundial, las cinco mayores empresas están relacionadas con las tecnologías de la información. Paradójicamente en dicho sector un modelo colaborativo como el software libre ocupa una posición destacada y, sobre todo, está en la base del desarrollo de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) posteriormente capitalizado por las grandes empresas tecnológicas. Si bien el software libre es totalmente compatible con la economía capitalista-free de libre, no de gratis como señala Stallman (2004)-su desarrollo y el propio desarrollo de internet antepone los valores de la ética hacker en los que la libertad, la colaboración o la creatividad están por encima del dinero como valor por sí mismo. El caso del software libre nos permite cuestionar una de las ideas dominantes de la cultura capitalista, la que establece una relación directa entre el capitalismo y la innovación y desarrollo tecnológico.

Sustainability means achieving people's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, considering three domains including economic, social and environmental sustainability. Pulp and paper industry makes... more

Sustainability means achieving people's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, considering three domains including economic, social and environmental sustainability. Pulp and paper industry makes an enormous negative impact on environmental sustainability, and software development and usage also significantly effect on environmental sustainability. This research was carried out to determine environmental sustainability impact of open-source software reuse in development of Educational Management Information System and usage of open-source e-learning platform called Moodle during a year of time in the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Case study research methodology was used to analyse the data quantitatively and qualitatively. Research outcomes show that some components of environmental stainability concepts called three R's-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle can be achieved by using free and open-source software solutions. The case study showed that available open-source solution could reduce millions of papers used per year in a higher education institute. Medium-scale Management Information System development can reuse free and open-source software components and save hundreds of Gigawatt Hours of energy and dozens of e-waste computers produced by software development. Accordingly, this research concludes that there is a significant impact of free and open-source software paradigm for environmental sustainability in the higher education sector by reducing and reusing resources, especially in limited financial allocations in Information and Communications Technology development.

The development and running of efficient and appropriate Health Information Systems, while urgently needed, are difficult to achieve and depend heavily on skill and human resources, which tend to be in short supply African countries. One... more

The development and running of efficient and appropriate Health Information Systems, while urgently needed, are difficult to achieve and depend heavily on skill and human resources, which tend to be in short supply African countries. One way to address the human resource problem in this area is to develop cross-country collaboration for sharing of resources, best practices, software and learning.

Art Education is important for the development of holistic personality of learners and many policies in India have been suggested systematic implementation of Art Education in Indian schools. But this area is still neglected and needs... more

Art Education is important for the development of holistic personality of learners and many policies in India have been suggested systematic implementation of Art Education in Indian schools. But this area is still neglected and needs proper implementation at different levels of schools. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is stipulated by a liberal licensing policy that makes it possible to be obtained free of change alongwith the source code. FOSS has many advantages and one of the important advantage is that it is increasing growth of knowledge based society. Keeping in mind the benefits of FOSS, an experiment was done by imparting Art Education to secondary school students through FOSS. The experiment revealed positive result of the FOSS in Art Education. This paper highlights need of Art Education at school level, FOSS in Art Education, experiment of FOSS with secondary school students and its outcomes.