Open Source and Free Technology

06/05/2009 - London

Drupal? Joomla? Plone? ModX? 12 months ago these were terms that were usually only heard of in IRC channels and Open Source newsgroups, but recently there has been an increase in mainstream interest in these technologies and as such these are now "buzz words" within the digital industry.

The term "open source" is a key distinction. The term means the software's source code is feely available for everyone to see and change (as opposed to the source code for MS Word, for example), but it has many wider implications. While proprietary software is created, distributed and maintained by a business, with Open Source software these tasks are handled by a community of developers. Open Source content management systems are also designed to be modular. By choosing an Open Source solution, you are getting the set of features a group of developers decided ought to be the base level of functionality. But there's a huge range of add-on modules that provide additional functionality for each solution, and a rich network of developers working to create more.

Whilst Open Source technology can be perfect for short, fast-run projects, it is an equally capable medium for larger requirements. For example, The Open University's key objective with their OU Platform project was to take their method of communication with their student body onto a digital platform. We successfully delivered a strategy which will enable the OU to phase out all in-print communication. By creating an interactive social space, we looked to facilitate a virtual student union, encouraging interaction and conversation amongst students and all on an Open Source platform.

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