Today, everyone is aware of the open source movement and this movement has certainly made its mark on the overall software landscape. But where has open source made its biggest mark? Which is the most successful open source endeavor of all time?
Actually, when you see the complete picture, you will know that the ‘web’ is the greatest open source success!
The best example for validating this is the lamp stack that supports a wide range of websites based on Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. However, there is so much more you can think about this….
Have a look at these signature open source projects that determined the success of the web:
Web Browser
While Microsoft’s internet explorer based on closed source has a big share of the web browser market even today. The open source browser alternatives are common these days and they are growing with time. Mozilla Firefox is one of the most popular browsers and it is open source. Firefox is followed by a rapid rise of Webkit browsers like Safari and Chrome.
Moreover, we cannot forget the mobile web where the Webkit powers the browsers for Android, iPhone and Blackberry.
Web Server Software
Apache (based on open source technology) is one of the most preferred web server softwares today. And then you also have a lightweight alternative called ‘NGINX’ , this software has gained an impressive popularity recently. In fact, two out of the three web servers are open source. Microsoft’s IIS comes at the second position and it is an exception. This is followed by a lot of server-side plumbing that is open source.
For example, many high-traffic websites prefer using ‘Varnish’ as a caching layer towards the website visitors and ‘Memcached’ as the caching layer for the databases of the websites.
Web Frameworks & Scripting Languages
Most of the scripting and programming languages used on the web like Pearl, PHP, Ruby and Python are open source projects.
Some websites start completely from the scratch. There are many open source content management systems and web frameworks for helping the developers; these include Drupal, WordPress, Django, Ruby on Rails, Joomla and many more.
Databases
The open source software ‘MySQL’ is by far the most preferred database choice for the websites. There are other open source alternatives like PostgreSQL. And while we talk about plumbing, we should not forget the basic aspects we rely on - ‘the web’ or the ‘internet’.
DNS (Domain Name System)
It is a truth that the entire web would not be of any use without the domain name system (DNS). The DNS makes it possible for you to use the domain names like example.com instead of taking the effort of typing the entire IP address. ‘BIND’ is the framework that works behind the implementation of the DNS protocols and it is an open source system now.
Server Operating Systems
All the websites have to be operated on servers and the open source technology has made its mark here as well. While Windows is a preferred operating system for the desktops, the hosting servers mostly utilize the Linux operating system that is open source. Other popular open source servers include ‘freeBSD’ and ‘OpenBSD’.
The Open Source Enchantment…..
It is not difficult to accept that the open source platform has become so popular while in many cases it can provide efficient alternatives to closed source software framework, commercial software; however, this is not offered for free.
The web might have had a hard time in terms of getting accepted without all the freely available software solutions to operate everything.
It is not that closed source does not exist. If you prefer closed source, you have to go really deep into the proprietary closed source technology.
Conclusion…
Kudos to the rise of the internet in the 80s, it facilitated better collaboration, communication and sharing. As a result of this, the growth of the open source movement was possible. When the web was created on the basis of the internet infrastructure, the open source platform was in the perfect position to help and provide solutions.
It is an undisputed fact that open source powers a majority of the web. Now, open source and the web seem to be sharing a perfect relationship and they do complete each other perfectly.
The open source technology is a prominent part of the hosting servers. Website owners prefer to use the Linux based servers as they enable customization.