Open source software is giving a boost to the latest exciting development in information technology – cloud computing. Many developers think there are several open source cloud computing projects in the works that will soon take cloud computing to the next level.
If you aren’t familiar with either of these terms, open source software is created and made available to other developers with little to no licensing requirements. This allows the best software development minds to study and improve the software without incurring licensing fees. Some successful open source projects you may have heard of include Mozilla Firefox and the GNU/Linux operating system. Many people work remotely on their desktops using Tight VNC, another free open source program which allows one to work on their own computer from a different location. They will often use this with PuTTY, software which ensures secure connections. These and many others, are examples of open source software that is used by the public while being evaluated and improved upon all the time by developers world wide.
Cloud computing uses distant servers and the Internet to perform computing functions that were traditionally completed by software stored on an individual computer. Collaborating with someone via Google Docs, for example, is a form of cloud computing. The benefits are faster/better/more efficient collaboration and computers. When your computer is doing less of the heavy lifting, it can run on smaller, more energy-efficient chips, yet thanks to the cloud, your results are the same as before – or better.
Some big names in networking are getting behind the marriage of cloud computing and open source software. Companies that make the servers and switching infrastructure that make cloud computing possible have taken a keen interest in several open source projects that are currently underway – and some are contributing technology and code to the process.
The hope is that as these large companies contribute their considerable resources and talents to the open source cloud computing projects, the projects will proceed at a faster clip. For now, the large developers seem to believe that supporting existing open projects, rather than creating closed ones of their own, is the way to go. Cloud computing and open source software – sounds like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it?