“ Tux” the Linux Penguin is the unofficial mascot of Open Source.

In order to understand the concept and philosophies behind Linux, open source and retail software like that marketed by Microsoft and other similar software publishers, one need not be a technical guru.

Simply put a computer software package is like a symphony; it is the result of a team effort guided by a score of notes written as sheet music.  When enjoying a symphony most of the audience has no idea what the sheet music looks like, they simply enjoy the final product, the music.

Computer software too has a sort of “sheet music.”  Programmers write software in “code.”  Code or “source code” is the human-readable instructions that are fed into the computer to create a program.  Looking in the “view” menu of a Web browser you will see “View Source” or simply “Source.”  Clicking there reveals the code of the World Wide Web called HTML.  All Web sites allow open access to the underlying source code that creates them.  For those learning about HTML programming this can be a valuable tool aiding in the understanding of how the Web works.

Getting back to the symphony analogy: like sheet music the source code is given to the computer’s “compiler” which turns the human-readable code into “machine language,” a series of 1’s and 0’s that the computer’s processor (electronic brain) can understand.  Like feeding sheet music to the orchestra performing a symphony, the source code allows the computer to perform for the user.

All of the programs on your computer are made from source code.  Just as one doesn’t need to see sheet music to enjoy a concert, most computer users will never see source code in the course of using their computers.  And the average user does not miss it.  For other users more versed in programming, especially in business applications, viewing and changing source code directly is a major benefit.

For example: imagine that you are in charge of flight operations for a major airline.  As security is heightened after Sept. 11, you are asked to keep closer track of baggage by linking each checked item with a passenger’s driver’s license or ID number.  Your current computer reservation system does not allow for this operation.  If the reservation software is open source you may be able to hire a programmer to integrate this new feature by editing the source code and recompiling it.

The difference between open source and products like those of Microsoft is that Microsoft’s products are distributed without the source code.  Microsoft’s code remains a proprietary secret.  Microsoft and other commercial software vendors use this technique to keep control of the software.  If Microsoft were the software vendor in the hypothetical airline software situation you would be required to purchase an upgrade to add the additional tracking functionality or, if Microsoft did not offer an upgrade, you would be forced switch to another software package that did.