Crowdsourcing code: why startups are turning to open-source software
A
playground for startups and corporations alike. (Image via
Linuxuser.co.uk)
A startup wants a mobile menu for their new app. It’s
going to cost them time and money to build one from scratch, so
they search on Google to find one that is ready-made, a template if
you will.
It is because of publicly available ‘open-source
software’ (OSS) that finding such a component is relatively easy.
Simply put, OSS is when a product, and the source code that
accompanies it, is made available for others to use and even
change, or add on to, as they see fit.
The video below further explains how OSS
works.
For startups, OSS obviously is a great way to
kickstart development without punishing the bank
account.
Free love
The beauty of OSS, according to its advocates,
is that it creates a more collaborative approach to software
development.
“We are heading towards a FOSS,” said Sameer
Sortur, founder and CEO of SquareCircle Tech
in Dubai, and organizer of the recent Gophercon event
in Dubai. “A ‘free open-source software’ revolution.”
Companies can get a better quality product
because there is a community of thousands working to develop and
perfect this software – you can get results like Wiki software
(which gives you a Wikipedia-like experience), and WordPress.
When a software’s source code is closed, or not
available to the public, which was the traditional path of
companies and still is for some big ones, it means that any
creation or modification to the code is the exclusive domain of
those to whom the owner gives access. As an example, no one can
modify and distribute Microsoft Windows except
Microsoft.
It should also be noted that a company can use
OSS for building a product that is then closed to others. So, just
because you use OSS doesn’t mean the end product is released as
OSS.
OSS use
In 2010, Jordan’s Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology signed anMOU
with the open-source database management company
Actian
(formerly Ingres Corporation).
This said that they would ensure that the
government would promote OSS within government departments, “as
well as assign IT resources to develop new functions for Ingres
products with the community version of Ingres Open-Source Database
to create a community of developers”, according to
reports at the time.
More recently, Kuwaiti entrepreneur Mohammad
AlMarzouq, cofounder of web development company KBSoft, told
Nuwait about the abilities of using
OSS.
For the KBSoft team, these tools represent the
foundation of constructive research and education. “Through
open-source platforms, many experts from all over the globe can
participate in developing [the product],” said AlMarzouk. “Every
person can display their product in front of their colleagues. Then
the best idea is followed.”
Job opportunities are one of the biggest things
to come out of OSS, but the entrepreneur attests that the benefits
don’t stop there.
AlMarzouk spoke of the experience gained through
interacting with the developer community, and discovering new tools
and techniques to solve challenging programming
problems.
Why OSS matters
Gartner
analysts predicted that by 2015 more than 95 percent of
mainstream IT organizations would be leveraging OSS solutions in
their technology portfolios. This is an increase from the 75
percent in 2010.
Worldwide use of OSS has been picking up pace
since the 1980s, and has been widely adopted in Middle East and,
like much of the world, this has been largely adopted by startups
rather than big corporations. The bigger companies though are
generally reluctant, said Sortur. However, companies like Microsoft
and Google have started adopting OSS packages.
“The world is moving away from proprietary to
collaborative software,” said Sortur. “Look at platforms like
Github [it shows] open-source is taking shape, so a lot of large
enterprises are moving towards that, it’s more flexible in terms of
development and architecture.”
It is also more secure.
Github, which is a community for open-source and
collaborative development, shows you how things are taking shape,
and now a lot of enterprises are wanting to move towards this –
more flexible in terms of architecture and development.
Sameer
Sortur, far right, with speakers and attendees at the Gophercon.
(Images via Gophercon)
While many conferences worldwide might cater to
a specific programing language, like JSConf, CSSConf or RubyCon, no
conference has been held in the region before.
Conferences such as Droidcon Dubai in March was
a showcase for the use of OSS in the region, and Gophercon in
February was themed around Go, an OSS programming
language born out of Google and contributors from the OSS
community.
Where the UAE stands
While the region is slightly
lagging in many aspects of IT adoption, compared to India or
China, there is strong use of OSS by many startups.
The UAE itself has experienced a proliferation
of IT companies and a rapid growth of its tech industry, a reason
Sortur was keen to hold Gophercon in the UAE and to see the
development of “a successful platform for Go and open-source
developers in the UAE and ME region”.
Amongst those adopting open, rather than
proprietary software are businesses like Souq.com, Namshee, and
JadoPado.
Cory
LaNou at Gophercon, “it can be hard to get a community
going”.
Adoption is still tricky
though. Cory LaNou,
a US-based web developer and entrepreneur, spoke at Gophercon.
According to him, seeing people in their own development “silos” is
common.
He told Wamda that amongst those he spoke to, it
seems it was hard to get the Go community energized. “From what I
could ascertain, there is a lack of understanding around what a
technology community will bring to the area, and as such, getting
people to attend is difficult.”
He was positive however. “I did have several
people approach me afterwards asking about how to get their local
Go meetup going, how to start a GoBridge chapter,
and a Women Who
Go chapter. These groups won’t take off overnight,
but if they continue to put effort into it, I’m confident they will
be successful.”
Sortur said India’s strong emphasis on research
and development has led it to be more advanced than MENA when it
comes to OSS adoption.
“Organizations here still need to learn those
technologies, most of the software built in India is developed
there and sent here to the UAE, but the scenario is changing; there
is a significant shift on building software locally,” he added. “I
think larger tech companies have been very successful, it’s just a
matter of awareness, adoption and need – you’re not limited to the
talent you hire.”
Issa Mahasneh, the president of the
Jordan Open-Source
Association, is on the same page.
Saying that the tech community of the region was
raised not to share, as well as a misunderstanding and suspicion
amongst IT executives. “But it is fading away in others that use
more innovative technologies; like virtualization, big data and the
Internet of Things, in which open-source proved to be the most
viable option.”
“I think OSS will be taking off everywhere,”
said LaNou. “There are great benefits to it. If the MENA region is
just starting that trend, I see no reason why it won’t follow the
same path other regions have.”
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