(September 2009) Open Source Software

Open Source refers to free software built with source code in the public domain. It encourages users to improve on the software by contributing to the codes. This model first emerged in 1983 with GNU but gained popularity in tech circles during the late 90’s with the emergence of Linux. Major technology companies now support this model and build multi-billion dollar businesses around it. The movement is now a dominant force in many industries.

The interesting question is why the open source model can achieve such status, even in highly competitive environments where technical merits often trump cost considerations. Businesses and academia have studied the phenomena in recent years. If you're looking for insight on this phenomenon, we recommend the book The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, by James Surowiecki. If you're just looking to master the tools, we offer a slew of related courses and certificates.

At UCSC Extension, our engineering and technology curriculum is largely built around open source software. More than 30 different open source tools are used in our courses. We have a complete certificate program centered on Linux Programming and Administration. Our popular Computer Programming and Internet Programming tracks feature Java, LAMP and many open source platforms and languages. In Embedded Systems and mobile device programming, open source software is leading the way in the industry. In Network Engineering and Systems Security courses, we show students how to use open source tools to study IP packets. The Database Systems program begins with a series of courses on MySQL. Web Design now has courses on open content management systems and Wiki. We embrace the open source movement and our experienced instructors help students to master these tools.