A Day Without Open Source
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I was at a conference when two techies walked into the open bar, one an open source supporter and one staunchly anti. They got into it a bit after a few drinks, and Mr. Anti commented loudly, “I wish open source would just go away! It causes more trouble than it's worth.” Statements I obviously have issues with. Now, I know most people don’t understand the role of open source software in our world, or just how many services that we take for granted would disappear without it. If you’re a card-carrying member of the community, you probably know where I’m headed.
Say at the stroke of midnight, all open source software magically vanished. What would still work tomorrow?
For starters, the Internet would “disappear” for the average user. Most Domain Name Servers (DNS) are run on open source software like BIND, which turns www.whurley.com into the IP address of the appropriate server. The majority of basic Internet users would be literally lost in translation. Of course, BIND isn't the only open source software for DNS. And not all DNS solutions are open source.
So assume DNS still works or perhaps you memorized 72.14.207.99 instead of www.google.com. Even with name servers functioning, Google would drop off of the face of the Internet. Google is primarily powered by Linux—arguably the most popular open source operating system on the planet. No worries. You'll just pop over to Yahoo!, right? Wrong. Yahoo! is one of the largest consumers of another popular open source operating system: FreeBSD. Now you’ve resigned yourself to trying 207.68.172.246. We all know they're not running open source, and they've been working hard on that search feature for quite some time.
Ok, MSN is up and running, now execute a search. I heard a sweet Shakira remix on the radio this morning; I’m going to search for that. MSN returns a list of sites offering the song . . . I’m clicking on them . . . and . . . nothing. No dancing? No Latin rhythms? Over 60% of all Internet sites are powered by Apache, an open source web server. Before I even click on a link, my chances of success have been reduced to 4 in 10.
Of the 118,023,363 sites surveyed by NetCraft so far in the month of May, just over 70 million of them wouldn't work if open source software were to disappear. Of course, Apache isn't the only open source web server and . . . you know the rest. I could go on and on about how none of your online transactions would be secure without OpenSSH and OpenSSl and all the other services users access every day that wouldn’t exist in this scenario.
Open source is not a new trend. It’s not a fad. It’s everywhere, whether you recognize it or not. From the embedded Linux in new wireless routers to Firefox, the world's most popular open source browser, open source powers the Internet and countless other technologies.
You already know I’m a true believer, but what do you all think? I’d like to hear your thoughts on how the disappearance of open source would affect you.
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Total Collapse
Posted by
Christopher St. John
at
2007-05-09 10:15
I suspect that even if you're running a web site not based on Linux, your hosting or access provider is probably using Open Source software in critical roles. (Embedded in the networking hardware? Running the network management console? Etc.) So I think the 60% of sites down may be more like 80% in the first second after Open Source disappears, 90% within a few hours, with a pretty much total collapse thereafter. Or maybe not, but it's fun to speculate :-)
MSN can't load balance without linux
Posted by
Mikeal
at
2007-05-09 11:45
MSN couldn't handle load without open source.
Their sole load balancing solution is boxes from F5 Networks, all running embedded linux :)
-Mikeal
Their sole load balancing solution is boxes from F5 Networks, all running embedded linux :)
-Mikeal
free source or open source?
Posted by
Niels L
at
2007-05-09 13:56
You mean open source or free software, that never can become non-free?
The only free software is that which can never become non-free, and open
source ought to be called open-at-the-moment source.
The only free software is that which can never become non-free, and open
source ought to be called open-at-the-moment source.
Listen carefully...
Posted by
Horibal
at
2007-05-09 14:17
Listen carefully and I think you' hear that at the mere mention of that cataclysmic day Mr. Gates' evil laughter echos through the sky...
Oh Noes the Tubes are not working
Posted by
Ian Muir
at
2007-05-09 14:21
This would be a sad, sad day indeed. I'm pretty much a Microsoft guy, but I still rely very heavily on open source. I think most people would be surprised to know how many of their nifty gadgets run on an open-source OS. Everything from cell-phones to the TVs on Jet Blue are running on Linux.
Personally, if this day comes I hope I'm camping.
Personally, if this day comes I hope I'm camping.
The Internet wouldn't work at all
Posted by
SM
at
2007-05-09 14:25
I can understand Mr Anti's sentiment. It is a bugger trying to sell proprietary software against free and better quality open source software.
The scenario if Open Source software dissapeared would mean that nobody would be able to access the Internet, not the 60% the author mentioned. Internet DNS runs on BIND, an Open Source program, and pretty well all Internet routers and hardware firewalls run on Linux or FreeBSD. There would be no usable Internet if OpenSource software dissapeared.
The scenario if Open Source software dissapeared would mean that nobody would be able to access the Internet, not the 60% the author mentioned. Internet DNS runs on BIND, an Open Source program, and pretty well all Internet routers and hardware firewalls run on Linux or FreeBSD. There would be no usable Internet if OpenSource software dissapeared.
Listen carefully...
Posted by
Horibal
at
2007-05-09 14:18
Listen carefully and I think you'll hear that at the mere mention of that cataclysmic day Mr. Gates' evil laughter echos through the sky...
gffg
Posted by
fgfg
at
2007-05-09 15:30
Java will stay at an old version that was not open-sourced yet. A Lot of routers at people's home would stop working. Several financial institution will stop working. Several closed source software will become more expensive.
vbb
Posted by
bbvbv
at
2007-05-09 15:35
Another good one, a lot of business people's Nokia mobile phone/PDA will stop working as it is based on the open source Symbian OS. They will loose all their contacts and documents on their phone, also they can't communicate anymore.
Replies to this comment
embedded linux
Posted by
steve
at
2007-05-09 15:35
Let's not forget all the cell phones and other devices that use an embeded version of linux!
Forget about email, too
Posted by
Sum Yung Gai
at
2007-05-09 15:43
Let's not forget about email. Internally, many US companies choose Lotus Notes or MS Exchange Server, but now you have to actually send that email somewhere. It has been estimated that Sendmail touches over 80% of all emails that traverse the Internet. Some of that "market share" no doubt has been taken by Postfix (which I use)...oh wait...Postfix is open source, too! Hey, so are the Courier-IMAP and Cyrus-IMAP that most ISP's are using for their broadband and dial-up customers! Oops....
Let's also not forget that Microsoft's precious HotMail would *also* come to a screeching halt. Yes, the front-end Web servers run Windows Server. What is also known, but is kept hush-hush (kinda like sex--you "just don't talk about" it), is that the *BACK END* runs Sun Solaris and Sendmail due to scalability problems with Windows Server and MS Exchange. So you may be able to get to MSN Search...but forget about HotMail.
Let's also not forget that Microsoft's precious HotMail would *also* come to a screeching halt. Yes, the front-end Web servers run Windows Server. What is also known, but is kept hush-hush (kinda like sex--you "just don't talk about" it), is that the *BACK END* runs Sun Solaris and Sendmail due to scalability problems with Windows Server and MS Exchange. So you may be able to get to MSN Search...but forget about HotMail.
MS Windows itself would drop off the Internet
Posted by
Sum Yung Gai
at
2007-05-09 15:49
Just thought of something else, after reading the comment about Mac OS X losing its FreeBSD components. If all open source software were to disappear like that, then MS Windows, too, would disappear off of the Internet. That's because, like with nearly every other TCP/IP-enabled platform, MS Windows uses code from the Berkeley TCP/IP stack and has done so for years.
Oops....
--SYG
Oops....
--SYG
windows xp contains a BSD based TCP/IP stack.
Posted by
warren
at
2007-05-09 15:56
So, if Open Source disappeared, Windows XP would lose its TCP/IP stack.
In short, even closed source folks like Mr. Bill still rely on the engineering and source code that is the basis of the internet (the TCP/IP protocol, and the various TCP/IP implementations, most of which were originally derived from the BSD unix source code.)
Warren
In short, even closed source folks like Mr. Bill still rely on the engineering and source code that is the basis of the internet (the TCP/IP protocol, and the various TCP/IP implementations, most of which were originally derived from the BSD unix source code.)
Warren
Replies to this comment
A day w/o Open Source
Posted by
Chuck Talk
at
2007-05-09 17:40
whurley,
I am definitely a true believer in open source, I have long known that Apache, BIND, Java, Linux, MySQL, FreeBSD, etc. - are all important and make up the fabric of the Internet.
Now that Java, Solaris and much, much more are becoming open source software, you would really just kiss the net good bye if oepn source went away. There would not be an Internet - there would be a downed web and billions of angry users. As some astute reader put it, the Softies rely on Akamai for their DNS - which relies on Linux. Only about 25% of web sites run IIS and that is a really ugly hack-up of a server IMHO - the process map is a good start to review for my reasoning there.
I don't think IIS can scale to run the web and let's not forget that open source was the original fabric of the web through UNIX which was only splintered by those seeking to make it proprietary. The UNIX wars were waged on trying to take UNIX and make proprietary flavors - which doesn't really do much good as it turns out. It simply makes development that much more expensive and useless.
Openness and transparency make the work more efficient and introduces the ability to replicate and repair. Closed systems are downright pains in the butt to work on, because you are held hostage to the inability to take advantage of those efficiencies.
That is just my two cents though.
freecode
I am definitely a true believer in open source, I have long known that Apache, BIND, Java, Linux, MySQL, FreeBSD, etc. - are all important and make up the fabric of the Internet.
Now that Java, Solaris and much, much more are becoming open source software, you would really just kiss the net good bye if oepn source went away. There would not be an Internet - there would be a downed web and billions of angry users. As some astute reader put it, the Softies rely on Akamai for their DNS - which relies on Linux. Only about 25% of web sites run IIS and that is a really ugly hack-up of a server IMHO - the process map is a good start to review for my reasoning there.
I don't think IIS can scale to run the web and let's not forget that open source was the original fabric of the web through UNIX which was only splintered by those seeking to make it proprietary. The UNIX wars were waged on trying to take UNIX and make proprietary flavors - which doesn't really do much good as it turns out. It simply makes development that much more expensive and useless.
Openness and transparency make the work more efficient and introduces the ability to replicate and repair. Closed systems are downright pains in the butt to work on, because you are held hostage to the inability to take advantage of those efficiencies.
That is just my two cents though.
freecode
Don't listen to drunks
Posted by
Shaine Mata
at
2007-05-09 20:13
Might be wise not to listen to people who are drinking.
it would be pretty pointless to even try...
Posted by
Thomas Lockney
at
2007-05-09 20:55
Turning on your computer would be next to impossible... that is, you probably wouldn't even have one. I mean, aside from the whole internet pretty much not existing at all, it's doubtful IBM would have even launched the original IBM PC if not for the success of the Apple II (I know it's hard to make a definitive argument on this, but seriously...). And the Apple II almost certainly wouldn't have existed without the Homebrew Computer Club and the atmosphere of sharing code and hardware designs that was core to that group. And, of course, without the IBM PC, how would MS have gotten anywhere?
Without Open Source
Posted by
Chris Bernard
at
2007-05-09 21:39
I can't believe nobody mentioned TIVO. How the Hell could we live without that!
BTW, in this future world who would be Biff from Back to the Future? I have my own thoughts here but I'm going to keep them to myself.
Chris Bernard
User Experience Evangelist, Microsoft.
PS Whurley, I drove my your office in Houston this week on my way to a meeting. I gave a shout as I drove by but got nothing. The Halliburton guys perked up though.
BTW, in this future world who would be Biff from Back to the Future? I have my own thoughts here but I'm going to keep them to myself.
Chris Bernard
User Experience Evangelist, Microsoft.
PS Whurley, I drove my your office in Houston this week on my way to a meeting. I gave a shout as I drove by but got nothing. The Halliburton guys perked up though.
Replies to this comment
Better will be "A day without propreitary software"
Posted by
Jayakumark
at
2007-05-09 22:56
Nothing will happen drastic than a day without open source. PHP,Python,Perl,ROR and most of sites powered by these will go down now java too.So the only sites surviving will be Microsoft powered sites,Coldfusion and domino powered sites. But they are very less in numbers.
Microsoft development would stop
Posted by
Notthisday
at
2007-05-09 21:14
Actually, almost everything going on at the MS campus would stop - because, afaik, the entire WLAN of the campus is provided by Aruba Networks - who power their devices with Linux :D
Anyway, what I wonder most when I hear similar rants is: don't these people know what monopolies do? Everyone knows that from school (about farming and other technical areas), and people living closer or even in parts of the former USSR have a pretty good picture where (state) monopolies are leading to.
So everyone should at least have some concerns with the position of MS, regardless of the licence!
Anyway, what I wonder most when I hear similar rants is: don't these people know what monopolies do? Everyone knows that from school (about farming and other technical areas), and people living closer or even in parts of the former USSR have a pretty good picture where (state) monopolies are leading to.
So everyone should at least have some concerns with the position of MS, regardless of the licence!
Good bye NAS, Tivo and VOD
Posted by
Jasper Quigmire
at
2007-05-10 09:00
Network Attached Storage:
The majority of Network Attached Storage and many of the iSCSI based SAN products on the market are based on Open Source products. They would all vanish along with the data they contain, including, but not limited to, bank records, stock trades, and things of lesser importance.
Digital Video Recorders:
There would be no Tivo! It's based on Linux.
Video On Demand:
Much of the Video On Demand delivered to the cable companies is done so using Linux based equipment. Also, many Video Servers are based on Linux.
Commercial Flight Simulators:
Several commercial flight simulators are delivered using Real Time Linux Systems. The pilots of your next commercial flight could be better trained because Open Source software exists.
There are countless other examples.
The majority of Network Attached Storage and many of the iSCSI based SAN products on the market are based on Open Source products. They would all vanish along with the data they contain, including, but not limited to, bank records, stock trades, and things of lesser importance.
Digital Video Recorders:
There would be no Tivo! It's based on Linux.
Video On Demand:
Much of the Video On Demand delivered to the cable companies is done so using Linux based equipment. Also, many Video Servers are based on Linux.
Commercial Flight Simulators:
Several commercial flight simulators are delivered using Real Time Linux Systems. The pilots of your next commercial flight could be better trained because Open Source software exists.
There are countless other examples.
It's much worse than that
Posted by
Dave
at
2007-05-10 17:07
Virtually all of the major international banks, mortgage brokers, credit card processors, stock brokerage houses, insurance companies, in short ALL of the worlds financial industry uses open source software. So on the morning after open source disappears the entire world would face a financial catastrophie.
Better hope there are good alt tags...
Posted by
CLC
at
2007-05-11 01:20
since most applications would be unable to load jpg files.
"Probably the largest and most important contribution however was the work of the Independent JPEG Group (IJG), and Tom Lane in particular. Their Open Source software implementation, as well as being one of the major Open Source packages was key to the success of the JPEG standard and was incorporated by many companies into a variety of products such as image editors and Internet browsers."
Source: http://www.jpeg.org/jpeg/
"Probably the largest and most important contribution however was the work of the Independent JPEG Group (IJG), and Tom Lane in particular. Their Open Source software implementation, as well as being one of the major Open Source packages was key to the success of the JPEG standard and was incorporated by many companies into a variety of products such as image editors and Internet browsers."
Source: http://www.jpeg.org/jpeg/
Replies to this comment
and there's more
Posted by
just started using linux
at
2007-05-11 02:07
The space program uses open source and some countries and towns have converted or are converting to Linux. There would be no cell phones and large sections of the power grid would stop working. A lot more institutions, especially mission critical, are running open source than management knows, because it works. No airline could operate. All major social, government and financial institutions worldwide would not function. I would want to be camping, too - on another planet.
And also...
Posted by
Kilian
at
2007-05-11 06:55
My beloved Mac OS X would come to a grinding halt :-(. For Windows users IE would vanish (being based on Mosaic, yes that code is probably mostly gone by now, but IE would have come to existence without Mosaic).
Many would find their cellphones turned into fancy paper weights...
Many would find their cellphones turned into fancy paper weights...
wow
Posted by
gregf
at
2007-05-11 08:43
I think if this were to happen for some reason i would probably take a career change and sell my computer. The few times a year I have to touch a windows box I just about toss it out the window so using one all day at work and then playing with one at home. I could not take it. Great article though it got me thinking a bit.
Great Post
Posted by
Adam
at
2007-05-11 11:33
Great article William!
Netscape
Posted by
LV
at
2007-05-11 12:03
Netscape commerce server would likely be the dominant player. However there is no hope for open source, or even public domain source; in time, free software will bulldoze it all. It truely is the great equalizer.
The world without informational copyright
Posted by
Tyson
at
2007-05-11 16:04
This may be a different topic altogether, but what would the modern world look like if all informational copyright became null and void (different than securing personal information, like social security numbers) and the world was run off of GNU?
When freedom is lost life will be expensive
Posted by
mr. Bear
at
2007-05-12 00:26
yeah.. might happen, and the cost for owning software for all will go up. It will be a devastating event if open source software stop working or the struggle for freedom is lost forever.
i'm not buying it
Posted by
roger thurman
at
2007-05-12 19:44
nice argument but i'm still not convinced that lunix really is that importnat to the internet. sure maybe two or three websites like yahoo use it but we won't miss them. and besides, microsoft search network will update its list of sites to exclude the 40 million sites so everything will be running smooth in about an hour. in conclusion, i think that if lunix was gone for 24 hours we would be just fine.
I'd quit
Posted by
Gard
at
2007-05-14 07:51
I definately would quit working for the software business.
I think I would move to Alaska and leave human civilization.
Or mabye I would start a free software foundation, change my name to Richard Stallman and grow one hell of a beard. :)
I think I would move to Alaska and leave human civilization.
Or mabye I would start a free software foundation, change my name to Richard Stallman and grow one hell of a beard. :)
opensource
Posted by
Christine
at
2007-05-14 17:45
I would cry. IE instead of Firefox? 'Nuff said.
Open source
Posted by
Lucas
at
2007-05-15 07:12
I think the most important part of the open source community and its labors are the "community". 100 years ago if you needed a hinge made for your "flapping machine" you headed down to the black smith's place and interacted with him. You being a carpenter might exchange that hinge for a new fence section.
I'm a php/asp/sql/javascript guy myself, but there are plenty of times I need to go over to the python guys shop and trade him some code. And I know I have helped many a graphics guy put some sweet code together. I suppose the point is, no one can make a good "flapping machine" all by themselves but as a group, we can make the best flapping machines around.
Ok, we know photoshop wasnt written by just one or two people, it was developed by a team but we also know from experience that teams make mistakes. A community usually catches their mistakes before the code is released and they respond very quickly if problems are found in the wild. Certain companies sit on their hands even when they know they have a major problem.
"Free software" really shouldn't mean free folks. If you are making your living on the work of those open source developers, donate to the cause. Do you really need that extra $10 per month? Give credit where credit is due. If every one did that, think of how much more motivated all of those talented guys and gals out there would be to deliver and support your nice clean code.
Now, all that being said, I can attribute every dollar of my income for the last 10 years to one man, Bill Gates. It may be the linux variants running the internet, but its still windows boxes that are surfing it. Most of my customers would have given up on the internet a long time ago if they had to deal with some lousy red hat workstation back in 1996. (Come on, you know it was bad!)
I'm a php/asp/sql/javascript guy myself, but there are plenty of times I need to go over to the python guys shop and trade him some code. And I know I have helped many a graphics guy put some sweet code together. I suppose the point is, no one can make a good "flapping machine" all by themselves but as a group, we can make the best flapping machines around.
Ok, we know photoshop wasnt written by just one or two people, it was developed by a team but we also know from experience that teams make mistakes. A community usually catches their mistakes before the code is released and they respond very quickly if problems are found in the wild. Certain companies sit on their hands even when they know they have a major problem.
"Free software" really shouldn't mean free folks. If you are making your living on the work of those open source developers, donate to the cause. Do you really need that extra $10 per month? Give credit where credit is due. If every one did that, think of how much more motivated all of those talented guys and gals out there would be to deliver and support your nice clean code.
Now, all that being said, I can attribute every dollar of my income for the last 10 years to one man, Bill Gates. It may be the linux variants running the internet, but its still windows boxes that are surfing it. Most of my customers would have given up on the internet a long time ago if they had to deal with some lousy red hat workstation back in 1996. (Come on, you know it was bad!)
no open source?
Posted by
Gytis
at
2007-05-16 07:45
I am just left without a job - my both pc runs Linux (ubuntu now), my website use apache. I am not sure if I install Windows next day when realize the open source is gone forever. Maybe I would go drive taxi, but how many us would do the same?
open source is needed
Posted by
Katoh
at
2007-05-16 19:32
LOL, Isn't HTML open source? (What isn't?) There's also SMS, XML, Java, MySQL, PHP, RSS, Javascript, Python, Eclipse, Drupal, MediaWiki, E-Mail, BitTorrent, Limewire, lighttpd, PostNuke, Joomla!, C, C++, Perl, Ruby, Tcl/Tk, etc... (Even phones wouldn't work)
More or less the internet wouldn't exist, alot of programs wouldn't exist, alot of big companies would be having issues (banks, television stations, radio stations, video games companies, etc...), Microsoft would be forced to make alternatives to alot of languages, protocols, and standards (thus loosing alot of support) and well, open source would have to return again.
More or less the internet wouldn't exist, alot of programs wouldn't exist, alot of big companies would be having issues (banks, television stations, radio stations, video games companies, etc...), Microsoft would be forced to make alternatives to alot of languages, protocols, and standards (thus loosing alot of support) and well, open source would have to return again.
Has no one seen "A Day Without a Mexican?"
Posted by
Anne Gentle
at
2007-05-17 22:43
Okay, I haven't either, but immediately thought of the day of protest for immigrant rights that was held last year when I read the title of this post.
I can't believe I'm alone in thinking about the natural progression that goes with this wonderful question, and that is, is there a immigration and citizenship progression to being a citizen of opensville? I look forward to posts that propose such interesting policy-making. Is dual citizenship frowned upon? What are the minimum time limitations and standard requirements for applying for citizenship? What groups would enforce and patrol the "borders?" And so on. So much metaphor, so little time.
I can't believe I'm alone in thinking about the natural progression that goes with this wonderful question, and that is, is there a immigration and citizenship progression to being a citizen of opensville? I look forward to posts that propose such interesting policy-making. Is dual citizenship frowned upon? What are the minimum time limitations and standard requirements for applying for citizenship? What groups would enforce and patrol the "borders?" And so on. So much metaphor, so little time.
Forgot your password?
New user?
First, Firefox, my front-and-center reminder of why open source is awesome, fades from view. Next, I fire up safari, but it too fades to an empty shell of an application as it's KHTML roots disappear. I go to tell someone what's happening, but adium is gone. Suddenly, my Mac reverts to OS9 as the freeBSD roots of OS X disappear.
Open source is everywhere, and it's an integral part of our lives both online and off today. A future without it would be bleak indeed.
Replies to this comment