ideology
out of the equation Keeping
Is the debate on open- source vs. proprietary software for scientific computing just irrelevant
ideology? Andrew Jones investigates
C
apable soſtware, not fast hardware, is the real differentiator of scientific computing. However, even though soſtware is so important (or maybe
because it is so important), there is much disagreement on the best way to create and use soſtware for scientific computing. One of the most recurrent themes is that of
open-source vs. proprietary code. Tis debate is oſten painted with the idealistic open-source evangelists on one side, and the business- focused proprietary soſtware advocates on the other. Tis is, of course, an unfair depiction of the topic. In reality, when debating open- source vs. proprietary, several issues tend to get conflated into one argument – open- source vs. closed-source, free vs. paid-for, restrictive vs flexible licensing, supported vs. unsupported, code quality, and so on. Open-source really means no more and
no less than making the source code readily available to anyone. Tus, open-source makes no statement as to the licensing conditions for using the soſtware, whether there are charges for using the soſtware, whether the soſtware is supported, or actively developed, or any good, and so on. Closed-source means that source code is not readily available, but makes no comment on issues like licensing, costs, support, and quality. Making the source code open means that
people can look at it, help spot and fix bugs, verify that the code does what is promises and help port to new hardware. Keeping the source code private helps protect any IP or competitive advantage believed to be in the code. If the code is subject to restrictive licensing or usage fees, then closed-source helps prevent people from using the code against the licence or without paying. If such a
12 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD
@scwmagazine l
www.scientific-computing.com
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