Software Engineering for Students A Programming Approach

326 Chapter 25 ■ Open source software development
the functionality he required. He also feared that another open source operating system,
GNU/HURD, was far off completion. He could not wait. Torvalds began to
write the kernel for his operating system. He was also motivated by the enjoyment of
writing code and claims that he wrote it “just for fun”!
Torvalds targeted developer forums and websites, posting an early release of the kernel
and requesting feedback and contributions. Increased contributions and collaborations
between GNU/Linux and GNU groups meant that distribution of beta versions
was frequent and continuous. The GNU/Linux operating system is licensed under the
GPL, ensuring that the source code remains open.
After years of continuous development, GNU/Linux is now a renowned open
source operating system, competing on the world market with other commercial and
proprietary software companies. What began as a personal project is now widely used
and technically reputable. The GNU/Linux software code is still available in its original
non-supported format. However, a number of commercial organizations also exist
to provide appropriate support for various user markets. GNU/Linux remains in continuous
development, often responding to technological advancements.
25.6 ● Discussion
Open source development’s most attractive asset is the enormous enthusiasm and passion
that resonates throughout the developer community and their building of software.
Developers have an unrelenting belief in what they do; voice their pride in their
hacker roots; find nothing more fulfilling than the art of programming.
Forking ensures that developer requirements are established and implemented in
a democratic process. This means that the requirements of the majority of the development
community are satisfied. Similarly, any specific personal modification can be
made by individuals, providing that they have the technical ability to implement
them.
However, it is worth noting that this process largely ignores non-developer user
requirements. The general user does not have the power to register their vote via code
implementation; neither can they personally modify their own code.
The reuse of code is an important development approach. However, in the case of
open source projects that attempt to rewrite entire systems and applications, a reuse
approach can only be facilitated by source code that is not covered by a proprietary
license. Liability issues may hinder entire projects because developers may not have legal
access to any code that they would like to rewrite. However, the overall expertise of the
hacker community usually means that volunteers are willing to take on the alternative
and more difficult task of writing entire systems from scratch.
Releasing frequent versions of the software brings benefits of continuous feedback.
Whilst the beta code may not contain all the functionality that is required, it means
that the developer base can immediately evaluate the code and get a feel for the software.
Crucially, the potentially vast audience of testers can immediately begin to track
and fix bugs, so that changes can be made incrementally, continuously and at a relatively
fast pace.