CYBER ETHICS

PART - 2
CONTENTS

➢ OPEN SOURCE PHILOSOPHY AND SOFTWARE LICENSES

● Free Software
● Open Source Software
Terminologies related to the Open Source Software
(OSS and FLOSS, GNU, FSF, OSI, Freeware, W3C,
Proprietary Software, Shareware, Copylefted Software)
● Licenses and Domains of Open Source Technology
GNU General Public License (GPL)
GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)
BSD License
MIT License
Apache License
● Public Domain Software vs Proprietary Software
➢ Freedom of Information and Digital Divide
OPEN SOURCE PHILOSOPHY AND SOFTWARE LICENCES

What is open source software?

Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.
"Source code" is the part of software that most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer
programmers can manipulate to change how a piece of software—a "program" or "application"—works.
Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding
features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly.
Open-source software (OSS) is any computer software that's distributed with its source code available for
modification. That means it usually includes a license for programmers to change the software in any way they
choose: They can fix bugs, improve functions, or adapt the software to suit their own needs.
FREE SOFTWARE

“Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the
users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. No payments are
needed to be made for free software.
The definition of Free Software is published by Richard Stallman’s Free Software Foundation as :
“Free Software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in
“free speech,” not as in “free beer.” Free software is a matter of the users’ freedom to run, copy, distribute,
study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the
software :
• The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
• The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish
(freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
• The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).
• The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can
give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a
precondition for this.
Thus, Free Software refers to freedom, not price. It guarantees its users the essential four freedoms. The
absence of at least one of these freedoms means an application is proprietary, so non‐Free Software.
OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Open-source software (OSS) is any computer software that's distributed with its source code available for
modification. That means it usually includes a license for programmers to change the software in any way they
choose: They can fix bugs, improve functions, or adapt the software to suit their own needs.
Open-source software is a type of computer software in which source code is released under a license in which the
copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.
Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner.
Open source software is released through a specific kind of license that makes its source code legally available to
end-users. There are many such licenses, but typically software is considered open source if:
It is available in source code form without additional cost, meaning users can view the code that comprises the
software and make any kind of changes to it they want.
The source code can be repurposed into other new software, meaning anyone can take the source code and
distribute their own program from it.
PHILOSOPHY OF OPEN SOURCE

Open source software is officially defined by the open source definition at

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.html
It states that :
Open source doesn’t just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of open-source
software must comply with the following criteria:
• Free redistribution : No restriction on the re-distribution of the software whether as a whole or in part.
• Source Code : The program should contain the source code, and the source code, as well as the compiled
form, should be allowed to be distributed.
• Derived works : The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be
distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.
• Integrity of the Author’s Source Code : The integrity of the author’s source code must be maintained.
Any additions/modifications should carry a different name or version number from the original software.
• No discrimination against Persons or Groups : The license must not discriminate against any person or
group of persons.
• No discrimination against Fields of Endeavor : The license must not restrict from making use of the
program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a
business, or from being used for genetic research.
• Distribution of License : The rights attached to the program must
apply to all to whom the program is redistributed.
• License must not be Specific to a Product : The rights associated
with the program should not be dependent on being part of any
special software distribution program.
• License must not restrict other Software : The license must not
place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the
licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all
other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-
source software.
• License must be Technology Neutral : Any provision of the license
cannot be devoted to the style of any individual technology or
interface.
Terminologies Related to the Open Source Software
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) : FOSS is also known as Free/Libre
Open Source Software {FLOSS}. This software is considered as both free and
open-source software. Anyone can use, copy, distribute, and modify the
software as per their requirement. The source code of the FOSS software is
freely accessible so that anyone can modify the design of the software.
Freeware : The term freeware is generally used for software, which is available
free of cost and which allows copying and further distribution, but not
modification and whose source code is not available. Freeware should not be
mistaken for open software or for free software. Freeware is distributed in
binary form (ready to run) without any licensing fee. In some instances the
right to use the software is limited to certain types of users, for instance, for
private and non-commercial purposes. One example is Microsoft Internet
Explorer, which is made available as freeware.
GNU : GNU stands for GNU’s Not Unix. It is a UNIX-based operating system.
GNU project emphasizes on freedom. The GNU project was initiated by
Richard M. Stallman with an objective to create an operating system. With
time, GNU project expanded and now it is not limited to only an operating
system. Now, it offers a wide range of software, including applications apart
from operating system.
Free Software Foundation (FSF) : It is a non-profitable organization
which was founded by Richard Stallman in 1985 for promoting the free
software movement.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) : It is an organization dedicated to cause
of promoting open source software. Bruce Perens and Erics Raymond
were the founders of OSI, that was founded in February 1998.
OSI specifies the criteria for open source software and properly defines
the terms and specifications of open source software.
Open source doesn’t mean access to the source code. The distribution
terms of open source software must comply with the Open Source
Definitions by OSI.
W3C : It is an acronym for World Wide Consortium. W3C is responsible
for producing the software standards for world wide web. The W3C was
created in October 1994, to lead the world wide web to its full potential
by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and
ensure its interoperability.
PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE
Shareware : Shareware is the proprietary software which can be accessed by the user on a
trial basis without making any payment. These types of software are restricted with few
functionalities and the user can use them only for a certain period of time then a license fee
should be paid.
Shareware is not the same thing as free and open source software (FOSS) for two main
reasons : (i) the source code is not available and, (ii) modifications to the software are not
allowed.
The objective of shareware is to make the software available to try for as many users as
possible. This is done in order to increase prospective users’ will to pay for the software. The
software is distributed in binary form and often includes a built-in timed mechanism, which
usually limits functionality after a trial period of usually one to three months.
Copylefted Software : Copylefted software is free software whose distribution terms
ensure that all copies of all versions carry more or less the same distribution terms.
Copyleft is a type of license that attempts to ensure that the public retains the freedom to
use, modify, extend and redistribute a creative work and all derivative works (i.e., works
based on or derived from it) rather than to restrict such freedoms.
Licenses and Domains of Open Source Technology
As per Open Source Initiative, “ Open source licenses are licenses that
comply with the Open Source Definition – in brief, they allow software
to be freely used, modified and shared.”
Broadly used open source licenses are :
1. GNU General Public License (GPL) : GPL is a commonly used
software license for open source software. It permits users to use,
study, modify and distribute the software. The GPL license is based
on the copyleft license. It means that the copyright of the
derivative work will be the same as the original software. GPL was
launched by Richard Stallman for their GNU project.
2. Lesser GPL (LGPL) : It is also known as GNU libraries or library
GPL. The rights of the LGPL license are lesser than that of the GPL
license. LGPL license is a free software license that is integrated
with both free software and proprietary software. In LGPL license,
you can use and distribute the license but cannot modify the
source code of the software. It means the user can use and
distribute the software with own application, but cannot publish
the source code of the application.
3. BSD License : BSD license stands for Berkeley Software Distribution license. This license belongs to the category of
the permission software license. BSD license sets lesser requirements to use and distribute the open source software.
There are two versions of the BSD license, which are as follows :
▪ New or Revised BSD License (3-clause license) : There are three clauses in this version :
i) The redistribution of the source code must contain the copyright notice,
conditions and the disclaimer of the software.
ii) The redistribution of the software in binary form must contain the
copyright notice, disclaimer and all the conditions as mentioned in the
document.
iii) You cannot use the name of the copyright holder or its contributors to
support or promote the derived work without any permission.
▪ Simplified BSD License (2-clause license): This license contains the first two clauses of the new or revised BSD
license.
4. MIT License : The MIT License is the shortest and probably broadest of all the
popular open-source licenses. Its terms are very loose and more permissive than
most other licenses,
The basic provisions of the license are :
i) You can use, copy and modify the software however you want. No one can prevent
you from using it on any project, from copying it however times you want and in
whatever format you like, or from changing it however you want.
ii) You can give the software away for free or sell it. You have no restrictions on how
to distribute it.
iii) The only restriction is that it be accompanied by the license agreement. It basically
says that anyone can do whatever they want with the licensed material, as long as
it’s accompanied by the license.
5. Apache License : The Apache License allows the user to use the software for any
purpose, distribute the software, modify the source code of the software, and
redistribute the modified software under the defined terms and conditions of the
license. Apache license is written by Apache Software Foundation (ASF),
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND DIGITAL DIVIDE
Freedom of Information : Freedom of Information refers to right to
access information available on public platform. The right to freedom of
information generally depends on the society and culture of a particular
country. Freedom of Information (FOI) can also be characterized as the
right to get the information held by public bodies. The laws of freedom of
information exclude the accessibility of the information held by the
private sector from their jurisdiction.
DIGITAL DIVIDE

A digital divide is an economic and social inequality with regard to access to, use of, or impact of information and
communication technologies (ICT).
The accessibility and inaccessibility of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have created a gap between the
members of society who do not have access to ICT and the members who have access to such technologies. This gap is
referred to as digital divide. There are various causes of digital divide, which are as follows:
• Age : Age difference is one of the causes of digital divide. As compared to older persons, the young people easily
adopt the IT technologies and are more ready to use it.
• Low Literacy Rate : Low literacy rate is another reason for the digital divide. The literacy rate is going up in India, but
when we compare the literacy rates of urban and rural areas, there is a big difference. This difference in the literacy
rates creates a digital divide.
• Language : In India most of the people speak local languages based on different regions. They do not speak the
English language. In today’s scenario, most of the IT technologies are based on the English language and to work with
these technologies, people require at least some basic knowledge of the English language.
• Access of Technology : As compared to urban areas, technological development is much lesser in rural areas. This
creates a barrier in the access of the ICT resources and creates a digital divide.
• Economical Factor : Some people cannot afford the cost of the technology (software and hardware). The economical
background is also a reason for the digital divide in society.