The emergence of open-source software in North America
Pan, Guohua and Bonk, Curtis

PublishedNovember 2007
JournalThe International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages 1-17
Original PublicationInternational Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
EditorsMcGreal, Rory and Conrad, Dianne
RegionNorth America

ABSTRACT
Unlike conventional models of software development, the open source model is based on the collaborative efforts of users who are also co-developers of the software. Interest in open source software has grown exponentially in recent years. A Google search for the phrase open source in early 2005 returned 28.8 million webpage hits, while less than two years later that number had jumped to 376 million. This paper discusses the origin of the term open source and the key tenets of the open source software development model. In addition, it analyzes the merits and drawbacks of using this model and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of applying the model in higher education. Importantly, examples are provided of computer software, and course management systems in particular, developed using the open source model. Also included are brief analyses of the Linux operating system, and two open source course management systems, Sakai and Moodle, as well as the uPortal. A timeline of major open source projects of significance in North America is provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential for applying the open source software development model to open and distance education.

Keywords Bazaar model · gift culture · open source · redistribution · untapped resources

ISSN1492-3831
Other number3
RefereedYes
Rightsby/4.0
URLhttp://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/496
Export optionsBibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar



AVAILABLE FILES
496-3756-2-PB.pdf · 144.2KB26 downloads



Viewed by 103 distinct readers




CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.

Click a star to be the first to rate this document


POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS

The emergence of open-source software in China
Pan, Guohua; Bonk, Curtis; McGreal, Rory; Conrad, Dianne
The open-source software movement is gaining increasing momentum in China. Of the limited numbers of open-source software in China, Red Flag Linux stands out most strikingly, commanding 30 percent share of Chinese ...
Match: pan, guohua; bonk, curtis; emergence

Massive Open Online Course instructor motivations, innovations, and designs: Surveys, interviews, and course reviews
Zhu, Meina; Bonk, Curtis; Sari, Annisa
This mixed methods study explores instructor motivations for offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) as well as the instructional innovations used to enhance the MOOC design. The researchers surveyed 143 MOOC ...
Match: bonk, curtis; north america

Pushing toward a more personalized MOOC: Exploring instructor selected activities, resources, and technologies for MOOC design and implementation
Bonk, Curtis; Zhu, Meina; Kim, Minkyoung; Xu, Shuya; et al.
This study explores the activities, tools, and resources that instructors of massive open online courses (MOOCs) use to improve the personalization of their MOOCs. Following email interviews with 25 MOOC and open ...
Match: bonk, curtis; north america

Turkish teachers’ awareness and perceptions of open educational resources
Ozdemir, Ozgur; Bonk, Curtis
The purpose of this study is to explore K-12 teachers’ awareness of open educational resources (OER) as well as their perceptions of its potential opportunities and challenges for teaching practices. Data were ...
Match: bonk, curtis

Motivations, achievements, and challenges of self-directed informal learners in open educational environments and MOOCs
Bonk, Curtis; Lee, Mimi
This research targeted the learning preferences, goals and motivations, achievements, challenges, and possibilities for life change of self-directed online learners enrolled in a massive open online course (MOOC) ...
Match: bonk, curtis

Foundation of fantasy culture and arts
Opensource Opencourseware Prototype System
Foundation of Fantasy Culture and Arts, established in 2001 as a non-profit organization by Lucifer Hsueh-Heng CHU, aims to encourage innovation and open knowledge. He donate most of his royalties get from the Chinese ...

Instructors’ experience of designing MOOCs in higher education: Considerations and challenges
Zhu, Meina; Bonk, Curtis; Sari, Annisa
As massive open online courses (MOOCs) increase, the large scale and heterogeneity of MOOC participants bring myriad significant design challenges. This mixed methods study explores 143 MOOC instructors’ ...
Match: bonk, curtis; north america

The emergence of Thai OER to support Open Education
Thumbumrung, Titima; Aroonpiboon, Boonlert; Méndez, Eva; Crestani, Fabio; et al.
This paper aims to present the practical work of the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) in a developing country, Thailand, to support open education and lifelong learning in the society. Thai OER is an ...
Match: emergence

Emergence and development of MOOCs
Zheng, Qinhua; Chen, Li; Burgos, Daniel
The e-learning has until quite recently been marked by considerable attention paid to MOOCs. One of the disruptive innovations introduced by MOOCs is the open access to the process of teaching and learning. The impact ...
Match: emergence

Understanding Chinese-speaking open courseware users: A case study on user engagement in an open courseware portal in Taiwan (Opensource Opencourse Prototype System)
Huang, Wen-Hao David; Lin, Meng-Fen Grace; Shen, Wendi
The open educational resource (OER) movement has reached a critical mass due to recent technology advancements. In Taiwan, to overcome the language barrier, the Opensource Opencourse Prototype System (OOPS) plays a ...
Match: opensource