| I have always been keen on taking advantage | | | | license.License: many creators who wish to |
| of free offers. Given the choice between a | | | | share their intellectual property with others |
| fast food meal with a freebie or one without, | | | | will give away limited rights that allow the |
| I'll plump for the mystery envelope every | | | | user to do a range of things - but still |
| time. It's human nature, and marketers know | | | | maintain overall control of the way their |
| it well.Even in 1979, when I bought my first | | | | work is used. Many open source software |
| home computer, there were user groups who | | | | developers will use the GNU Public License |
| supplied type-in listings for a nominal | | | | (GPL) as a framework for stating how their |
| charge. When I bought the first of a series | | | | work can be used.Open source software does |
| of Atari ST computers in the '80s and '90s, I | | | | not have to be synonymous with poorly written |
| was a regular customer and contributor to a | | | | undocumented utilities that nobody else |
| public domain (PD) software library. Fast | | | | wants. Here are a few of my favourites:Open |
| forward to the end of the '90s and I was | | | | Office: a fully-fledged office suite, |
| distributing the source code to a number of | | | | word-processor, spreadsheet, presentation |
| simple educational flash games to other | | | | software and graphics package. The fact that |
| teachers over the internet.So that's my | | | | these programs will export both PDF format to |
| credentials. Like many others, however, I | | | | be read by Adobe Acrobat reader and SWF flash |
| have received much more from open source | | | | files for use on the web makes them |
| software than I have ever put in. For the | | | | incredibly useful to me. They are the main |
| uninitiated, it is worth explaining a few | | | | application software that I use on my |
| definitions here:Shareware Software: is free | | | | laptop.The GIMP: an image processing package |
| to try, but there is a moral obligation to | | | | with enough features to rival Photoshop. For |
| register your software with its creator and | | | | younger artists, my daughters love Tux Paint |
| receive upgrades and support in return for a | | | | with its variety of stamps and special |
| fee. The evaluation period may last for a | | | | features.Moodle: an open source content |
| reasonable length of time after which some | | | | management system specifically designed for |
| features of the software may become | | | | educators. There are plenty of other open |
| unusable.The Public Domain: if the creator of | | | | source CMS packages available for blogging or |
| a work relinquishes all his rights to his | | | | running your own web portal.David Hellam is |
| intellectual property, it enters the public | | | | an international educator, currently working |
| domain and can be used by others to create | | | | on a project at to build a homepage for the |
| derivative works or profit from it without | | | | professional educator. |
| payment of any fees or need for some form of | | | | |