Linux: A Case Study of Open Source Methodology
Kyle Rankin
Quinstreet Inc.
Case Studies
Two Successful Open Source Projects
What I'm Leaving Out
What I'm Leaving Out
Plenty
- Apache
- Mozilla
- RedHat, SUSE, Debian, and many other distributions
- Gnome/KDE
- Hundreds, thousands of other projects
Linux
What is Linux?
What is Linux?
- Cross-platform Open Source operating system
What is Linux?
- Cross-platform Open Source operating system
- Unix-like
What is Linux?
- Cross-platform Open Source operating system
- Unix-like
- Arguably most famous OSS
What is Linux?
- Cross-platform Open Source operating system
- Unix-like
- Arguably most famous OSS
- Often refers to OS + other software
What is Linux?
- Cross-platform Open Source operating system
- Unix-like
- Arguably most famous OSS
- Often refers to OS + other software
- Pronounced "Lih-nucks"
Linux 0.01 - August 25, 1991
Linux 0.01 - August 25, 1991
"Just a hobby, won't be big..."
From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
Summary: small poll for my new operating system
Message-ID: <1991Aug25.205708.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki
Hello everybody out there using minix -
I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and
professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. . .
. . .
Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)
PS. Yes - it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs.
It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never
will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.
Linux Today
Linux Today
- Latest version: 2.6.13.1
- 17 Architectures including x86, Alpha, UltraSPARC, PPC, ARM, MIPS and others
Linux Today
- Latest version: 2.6.13.1
- 17 Architectures including x86, Alpha, UltraSPARC, PPC, ARM, MIPS and others
- Hundreds of Linux Distributions
Linux Today
- Latest version: 2.6.13.1
- 17 Architectures including x86, Alpha, UltraSPARC, PPC, ARM, MIPS and others
- Hundreds of Linux Distributions
- Used in production by many companies and governments
Linux Today
- Latest version: 2.6.13.1
- 17 Architectures including x86, Alpha, UltraSPARC, PPC, ARM, MIPS and others
- Hundreds of Linux Distributions
- Used in production by many companies and governments
- Scales from small embedded computers to large clusters
Success Through Open Source
Success Through Open Source
Benevolent Dictator Software Model
Success Through Open Source
Benevolent Dictator Software Model
Success Through Open Source
Benevolent Dictator Software Model
- Buck stops at Linus
- The power of the fork
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
- First Linux users were all programmers
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
- First Linux users were all programmers
- Still many Linux programmer-users
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
- First Linux users were all programmers
- Still many Linux programmer-users
- Low barrier to entry for kernel development
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
- First Linux users were all programmers
- Still many Linux programmer-users
- Low barrier to entry for kernel development
- Process open to outsiders
Success Through Open Source
Programmer-users
- First Linux users were all programmers
- Still many Linux programmer-users
- Low barrier to entry for kernel development
- Process open to outsiders
- Many companies now employ kernel hackers part or full time
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
- How?
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
- How?
- Open Source = plenty of sample driver code
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
- How?
- Open Source = plenty of sample driver code
- Programmer-user buys unsupported hardware, writes a driver
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
- How?
- Open Source = plenty of sample driver code
- Programmer-user buys unsupported hardware, writes a driver
- Hardware Vendors release specs
Success Through Open Source
Scratch Your Own Hardware Itch
- Linux supports more hardware on more platforms than any other OS
- How?
- Open Source = plenty of sample driver code
- Programmer-user buys unsupported hardware, writes a driver
- Hardware Vendors release specs
- Hardware Vendors employ kernel hackers
Success Through Open Source
Bugs and Security Holes
Success Through Open Source
Bugs and Security Holes
- "Many eyes make bugs shallow." -- You are not alone
Success Through Open Source
Bugs and Security Holes
- "Many eyes make bugs shallow." -- You are not alone
- Multiple options for a bug or security hole:
Success Through Open Source
Bugs and Security Holes
- "Many eyes make bugs shallow." -- You are not alone
- Multiple options for a bug or security hole:
- Wait for official kernel patch
- Wait for official vendor patch
- Use (frequently-provided) user-submitted patch or workaround
- Write your own patch or workaround
- Hire someone to write a patch or workaround
Success Through Open Source
Bugs and Security Holes
- "Many eyes make bugs shallow." -- You are not alone
- Multiple options for a bug or security hole:
- Wait for official kernel patch
- Wait for official vendor patch
- Use (frequently-provided) user-submitted patch or workaround
- Write your own patch or workaround
- Hire someone to write a patch or workaround
- Adds up to quick turnaround for security patches
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
- A collection of the Linux OS and software for Linux
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
- A collection of the Linux OS and software for Linux
- Usually packaged for easy installation
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
- A collection of the Linux OS and software for Linux
- Usually packaged for easy installation
- No license fees to make a new distro
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
- A collection of the Linux OS and software for Linux
- Usually packaged for easy installation
- No license fees to make a new distro
- Some community projects, some corporate
Success Through Open Source
Linux Distributions
- A collection of the Linux OS and software for Linux
- Usually packaged for easy installation
- No license fees to make a new distro
- Some community projects, some corporate
- Many special-purpose distros
Knoppix
What is Knoppix?
What is Knoppix?
A complete Linux distribution that boots and runs completely from a CD-ROM.
A Short History of Knoppix
A Short History of Knoppix
Scratching an Itch
- 1999 - Klaus Knopper sees bootable business card Linux CDs at computer expos
- 1999 - Knopper makes personal rescue CD
- 2000 - Convinced to share CD to get more feedback on hardware compatibility
Knoppix Now
Knoppix Now
- CD and DVD dual release
- Wide range of hardware support
Knoppix Now
- CD and DVD dual release
- Wide range of hardware support
- One of the most popular Linux demo and rescue disks
Knoppix Now
- CD and DVD dual release
- Wide range of hardware support
- One of the most popular Linux demo and rescue disks
- 2Gb+ software on CD
Knoppix Now
- CD and DVD dual release
- Wide range of hardware support
- One of the most popular Linux demo and rescue disks
- 2Gb+ software on CD
- 100+ Knoppix-based distributions
Success Through Open Source
Success Through Open Source
- More users = more hardware feedback
Success Through Open Source
- More users = more hardware feedback
- Contributors add extra functionality
Success Through Open Source
- More users = more hardware feedback
- Contributors add extra functionality
- Free to redistribute = free promotion
Success Through Open Source
- More users = more hardware feedback
- Contributors add extra functionality
- Free to redistribute = free promotion
- License makes derivatives easy and legal
Questions?