Encyclopedia

Open source politics Open source politics is a term used to describe a political process that uses Internet technologies such as blogs and email to provide for a rapid feedback mechanism between political organizations and their supporters.
Open source record label Open source record labels are a reaction against what some musicians see as corporate control of music via means of copyright. They believe that creativity requires that musicians reappropriate and reinterpret music and sounds to enable them to create truly innovative music.
Open source software assessment methodologies Several methods have been created to define an assessment process for Free/Open Source software. Some focus on some aspects like the maturity, the durability and the strategy of the organisation around the Open Source project itself.
Open source software development method Open source software development is the development of Open source software products. These are software products “available with its source code and under an open source license to study, change, and improve its design”.
Open source vs. closed source Open source (or free software) and closed source (or proprietary software) are two approaches to the control, exploitation and commercializing of computer software. Open source approaches differ from the traditional model of software licensing by allowing other individuals and organizations to view and modify the source code and in many cases resell the software without providing royalties to the original authors of the software, or under some open source licenses without even requiring that they credit the original authors of the software.
Open sources of information Open sources of information include the surface Internet, the deep Web, and electronic mail, as well as traditional media sources inclusive of niche media or industry-specific newsletters and online discussion groups. They include gray literature, subject-matter experts, and individuals have direct observation or life experience knowledge.
Open specifications An Open Specification is a document created & controlled by an open & fair association or a standardization body intending to achieve interoperability and interchangeability. An open specification is not controlled by a single company, individual or by a group with discriminatory membership criteria.
Open spectrum Open spectrum (also known as free spectrum) is a movement to get the government to provide more unlicensed spectrum, radio frequency spectrum that is available for use by all. Proponents of the "commons model" of open spectrum advocate a future where all the spectrum is shared, using Internet protocols to communicate with each other, and smart devices to find the most effective energy level, frequency, and mechanism.
Open standard Open standards are publicly available and implementable standards. By allowing anyone to obtain and implement the standard, they can increase compatibility between various hardware and software components, since anyone with the necessary technical know-how and resources can build products that work together with those of the other vendors that base their designs on the standard.
Open surgery An open surgery means cutting skin and tissues so the surgeon has a direct access to the structures or organs involved. Examples of open surgery include the removal of organs, such as the gallbladder or kidney.
Open system (computing) Open systems are computer systems that provide some combination of interoperability, portability, and open software standards. (It can also mean systems configured to allow unrestricted access by people and/or other computers; this article only discusses the first meaning.
Open system (control theory) An open system is a feedforward system that does not have any feedback loop to control its output in a control system in systems theory. The system is an "open" system because it does not have a feedback loop in its control.
Open systems architecture In telecommunication, the term open systems architecture means the layered hierarchical structure, configuration, or model of a communications or distributed data processing system that (a) enables system description, design, development, installation, operation, improvement, and maintenance to be performed at a given layer or layers in the hierarchical structure, (b) allows each layer to provide a set of accessible functions that can be controlled and used by the functions in the layer above it, (c) enables each layer to be implemented without affecting the implementation of other layers, and (d) allows the alteration of system performance by the modification of one or more layers without altering the existing equipment, procedures, and protocols at the remaining layers.
Open Sesame Open Sesame is a children's television series composed solely of the skits and segments of the legendary American television series Sesame Street. While some countries air the American program in whole, and some create their own versions of the show, many more air this title of loosely associated skits, as Open Sesame.
Open Society Initiative for West Africa Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is a West African organization which promotes democratic values. OSIWA "believes that it best serves by sustaining catalytic and innovative initiatives that add value to the efforts of West Africa's civil society.
Open Society Institute The Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating and grantmaking foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to support the rule of law, education, public health, and independent media.
Open Software Foundation The Open Software Foundation (OSF) was an organization founded in 1988 to create an open standard for an implementation of the Unix operating system. The organization was first proposed by Armando Stettner of Digital Equipment Corporation at a by-invitation-only meeting hosted by DEC for several UNIX vendors (called the Hamilton Group) to be an organization for joint development, mostly in response to the threat of the unilateral 'merged UNIX' efforts by AT&T and Sun Microsystems.
Open Source Applications Foundation The Open Source Applications Foundation (OSAF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Mitch Kapor whose purpose is to effect widespread adoption of free software/open-source software. One significant project undertaken by OSAF was Chandler.
Open Source Center The DNI Open Source Center was established November 1, 2005 and operating under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is intended to improve the availability of open sources to intelligence officers and other government officials.
Open Source Committee The following guidelines are examples of how principles of open source government have been applied on a small scale to the business of committee meetings. Some organizations with politically volatile climates adopt the Open Source Committee procedures because they democratically emphasize idea over person.
Open Source Corporate Governance Reporting System (OSCGRS) Open Source Corporate Governance Reporting System (OSCGRS) is a multi-staged project aimed at developing the industry’s leading corporate governance information portal. Its key components will include a dynamic, relational database with analytical applications and a clearinghouse of governance information and standards as reported by OSCGRS users.
Open Source Definition The Open Source Definition is used by the Open Source Initiative to determine whether or not a software license can be considered open source. The definition was based on the Debian Free Software Guidelines, written and adapted primarily by Bruce Perens.
Open Source Development Labs Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) was a non-profit organization supported by a global consortium dedicated to the advancement of the operating system called Linux. Founded in 2000, its goals included "to be the recognized center-of-gravity for the Linux industry" and to serve as "a central body dedicated to accelerating the use of Linux for enterprise computing.
Open Source Filmmaking Open Source Filmmaking refers to a form of filmmaking that takes a method of idea formation from open source software, but in this case the 'source' for a film maker is raw unedited footage rather than programming code. It can also refer to a method of filmmaking where the process of creation is 'open' i.
Open Source Geospatial Foundation The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data. The foundation was formed in February 2006 to provide financial, organizational and legal support to the broader Free and open source geospatial community.
Open Source history Open source history is tied to three operating systems: Unix, GNU, and Linux. These were projects that initially shaped the identity of the open source community, beginning in the 1960s and continuing to the present day, and proved that open source is a viable software development model.
Open Source Judaism Open Source Judaism is a small movement within the Jewish community that uses open collaboration to create works about or for Judaism. One of the groups completed works include an open source prayer book (for Passover).
Open Source Lab The Open Source Lab is a group at Oregon State University dedicated to supporting and developing Open Source software. A wide range of projects are hosted at the lab including Gentoo, Mozilla, Debian, and Freenode.
Open Source Maturity Model "The Open Source Maturity Model (OSMM) is a formal process to assess the maturity level of open source software. Software Maturity is a well-established engineering concept that recognizes that product maturity is directly related to how scalable, manageable, and supportable a given software product is.
Open Source Shakespeare [Open Source Shakespeare is a powerful, easy-to-use Web site with the complete works of William Shakespeare. It was created using Moby Shakespeare as the texts, which in turn was created from the 1864 Globe edition of the complete works.
Open Source Software CD The Open Source Software CD is a large collection of high-quality open-source software for Microsoft Windows. It contains numerous programs in categories including software development, fun and games, Internet, multimedia, productivity, security, text editing, and utilities.
Open Source Technology Center The Intel Open Source Technology Center (iOTC) is the group within Intel Corporation that is responsible for "Enabling" Linux with both support for Intel Architecture and Intel products (Processors, chipsets, and other components). The iOTC is also home of various Linux and open source projects maintainers.
Open Source Technology Group The Open Source Technology Group (OSTG) describes itself as a "news, collaboration and distribution community for IT and Open Source development, implementation and innovation." OSTG is supported by VA Software and dedicated to the Open Source Initiative.
Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution is a book published by O'Reilly Media. It is an anthology of essays written by luminaries of the open source/free software movements, which variously chronicle aspects of computing history, describe various philosophical positions, or sketch groups important to the movements.
Open SOA Collaboration The Open SOA Collaboration is an informal alliance of software companies including IBM, Sun, and Oracle. Its goal is to define a language-neutral programming model that meets the needs of enterprise developers who are developing Service Oriented Architecture software.
Open Space Institute Open Space Institute (OSI) is an organization that seeks to preserve scenic, natural and historic landscapes for public enjoyment and to conserve habitats. It seeks to do this by making land acquisition, establishing conservation easements and by making loans to, and creative partnerships with, other organizations.
Open Student Television Network The Open Student Television Network, also known as OSTN, is a national student television network, headquartered in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. OSTN is managed by a full time staff that serves as network management.
Open Studio A studio or workroom which is made accessible to allcomers, where artistic or creative work can be viewed and created collaboratively. An Open Studio is intended to foster creativity and encourage experimentation in an atmosphere of cultural exchange, conversation, encouragement, and freedom of expression.
Open theism Open theism, also known as free will theism, is a theological movement that has developed within Evangelical Protestant Christianity as a response to certain ideas that are a part of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. Several ideas within Classical theism (a designation which is not to be taken as inclusive of all of orthodox theism) state that God is immutable, impassible, and timeless.
Open tuning In guitar playing, an open tuning is one where the strings are tuned so that a chord is achieved without fretting, or pressing any of the strings. With such a tuning, other chords may be played by simply barring a fret or through the use of a slide.
Open Text Corporation Open Text Corporation is a Canadian high-tech company based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable enterprise content management solutions for large corporate systems.
Open University of Greece The Open University of Greece (Hellas Open University - HOU) was founded in 1992 in Patra. It is recognized as an Institution of Highest Education (AEI), and it offers degrees and postgraduates studies in various subjects.
Open University of Hong Kong The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK, OpenU, ) is a Hong Kong university providing sub-degree, degree and postgraduate courses leading to awards and qualifications principally through a system of open access and distance education.
Open University, Sri Lanka The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) is one of the recognized Universities in Sri Lanka where students may further their education through distance learning. OUSL's academic program enables students to combine theoretical study with meaningful real-world learning experiences.
Open Up (Cog single) Open Up is maxi single released by the Australian rock band Cog in March, 2003. It contains a cover of the Public Image Limited/Leftfield track Open Up, a two and a half minute extension of the track, full length versions of tracks that appeared, edited, on previous releases, and a remix of Open Up by Sydney DJ, DJ Silk.
Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL™) is an international, information security, community standard to promote open and publicly available security content, and to standardize the transfer of this information across the entire spectrum of security tools and services. OVAL includes a language used to encode system details, and an assortment of content repositories held throughout the community.
Open water swimming Open water swimming is an activity in which people swim in large, outdoor bodies of water such as oceans, bays, lakes and rivers. While casual swimming in such bodies of water technically qualifies as "open water swimming," this article is limited to human long distance swimming in open water with the goals of fitness and/or competition.
Open Wall Linux Openwall GNU/*/Linux (or Owl for short) is a free security-enhanced operating system with Linux and GNU software as its core, compatible with other major distributions of GNU/*/Linux. It is intended as a server platform.
Open Your Box "Open Your Box" is a song by Yoko Ono, originally released in 1971 on the B-side to John Lennon's single "Power to the People", and remixed by Orange Factory in 2001. Upon original release, the song was met with some controversy by many who interpreted the lyrics as highly risque.
Open Your Eyes (Snow Patrol song) "Open Your Eyes" is a single by Snow Patrol and will be released on the 12 February 2007. It will be released as the fourth UK single and the fifth single in total from their album Eyes Open http://www.
Open-air preaching Open air preaching is the act of preaching to people in public places, primarily on the street corner where there is a crowd of people. It is also done on college campuses by students, and in parks and other public areas where there is a crowd.
Open-Book Management Open-Book Management is a management technique originated by Jack Stack and his team at Springfield Remanufacturing and popularized in 1995 by John Case. The method, as the title implies, is to give employees all relevant financial information about the company so they can make better decisions as workers.
Open-ended (gameplay) In computer and video games, the term open-ended refers to a game that does not have a specific, predefined ending, or set of endings. The terms non-linear and freeform are also used to refer to this type of game.
Open-ended (poker) Open-ended refers to a situation in poker where the player has four of five cards needed for a straight that can be completed at either end. For example, a player with 3♥ 4♥ 5♣ 6♠ is open-ended, because a deuce or a seven would give the player a straight.
Open-jaw ticket An open-jaw ticket is an airline ticket in which the traveler returns from a city other than the one he or she arrived at, or in which the final destination is not the same as the original departure city. The trip between these two cities is then made over land, sea or with a separately booked flight.
Open-label trial An open-label trial is a type of clinical trial in which both the researchers and participants know which treatment is being administered. This contrasts with single blind and double blind experimental designs, where participants are not aware of what treatment they are receiving (researchers are also unaware in a double blind trial).
Open-mid back rounded vowel The open-mid back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is O.
Open-mid back unrounded vowel The open-mid back unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is V.
Open-mid central rounded vowel The open-mid central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 3.
Open-mid central unrounded vowel The open-mid central unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 3.
Open-mid front rounded vowel The open-mid front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 9.
Open-mid front unrounded vowel The open-mid front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is <>, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is E.
Open-mid vowel The open-mid vowels make a class of vowel sounds used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of an open-mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned two-thirds of the way from an open vowel to a mid vowel.
Open-source culture Open source culture refers to creative practices that involve the appropriation and/or free sharing of found content. Examples of open source culture include collage, found footage film, hip_hop, and appropriation art.
Open-source license An open-source license is a copyright license for computer software that makes the source code available under terms that allow for modification and redistribution without having to pay the original author. Such licenses may have additional restrictions such as a requirement to preserve the name of the authors and the copyright statement within the code.
Open-source software Open-source software is an antonym for closed source and refers to any computer software whose source code is available under a license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner.
Open-space meeting The open-space meeting or open space meeting is a generic term describing a wide variety of different styles of meeting in which participants define the agenda with a relatively rigorous process, and may adjust it as the meeting proceeds. A large meeting of this sort is called an open space conference or unconference].
Open-space school The open-space school concept was introduced into the United States in the 1970s as an experimental elementary school architecture where the physical walls separating classrooms were removed to promote movement across class areas by teachers. However, in practice this is not typical since teachers tend to prefer teaching in a traditional manner as if the walls were still present.
Open-Xchange Open-Xchange Server is a messaging and collaboration solution combining common free software packages, open standards and web services. Open-Xchange Server is available as proprietary software and as a community supported open-source software package.
Open/closed principle In object-oriented programming, the open/closed principle states that a class must be both open and closed, where open means it has the ability to be extended and closed means it cannot be modified other than by extension.
OpenAccess OpenAccess is a community effort to provide interoperability, including unified data exchange among integrated circuit design tools through an open standard data API and reference database supporting that API for IC design. It is coordinated by the OpenAccess Coalition of EDA industry leaders, including Cadence, IBM, Hewlett-Packard LSI Logic, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Philips Electronics, Silicon Navigator, ST Microelectronics, Sun Microsystems, and Synopsys.
OpenAFS OpenAFS is an open source implementation of the Andrew distributed file system (AFS). AFS was originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University, and developed as a commercial product by the Transarc Corporation, which was subsequently acquired by IBM.
OpenArena OpenArena is a free/open source 3D computer game that belongs to the "first-person shooter" genre. OpenArena had its first public test release on August 19 2005, the day after the Quake 3 engine GPL source code release and also the last day of Quake Expo 2005.
OpenBabel OpenBabel is free software, a chemical expert system mainly used for converting chemical file formats. Due to the strong relationship to informatics this program belongs more to the category Cheminformatics than to Molecular modelling.
OpenBase OpenBase SQL is a relational database server software that delivers scalable performance and fault-proof data protection. First version released in 1991, OpenBase SQL is used for business applications mainly on Mac OS X and also available for Linux, and Microsoft Windows.
OpenBook Project OpenBook is an open source hardware and software project which goal is to start a "light tablet" movement by designing a computer tablet that suits most users needs and design an all-round (probably Linux powered) tablet. Everyone can contribute and help to shape the OpenBook hardware and software specifications on the OpenBook Project website.
OpenBRR Open Business Readiness Rating (OpenBRR) is an Open source software assessment methodology defining an open and standard assessment process. This methodology tries to integrate companies constraints (notably for tests and reliability), and focuses on the sharing and the reduction of the Total Cost of Ownership perceived for Open Source software.
OpenBSM OpenBSM is an open source implementation of Sun's Basic Security Module (BSM) Audit API and file format. BSM, which is a system used for auditing, describes a set of system call and library interfaces for managing audit records as well as a token stream file format that permits extensible and generalized audit trail processing.
OpenBUGS OpenBUGS is a computer software for the Bayesian analysis of complex statistical models using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. OpenBUGS is the open source variant of WinBUGS (Bayesian inference Using Gibbs Sampling).
Openconf OpenConf is a peer-review / conference management system, under active development, that facilitates the electronic submission, review, advocacy, and acceptance of papers, along with management of the whole process by a Program Chair or Editor. OpenConf is available for free as long as no fee is charged/paid for its install/use or other OpenConf-related services; otherwise, a commercial license is also available.
OpenCable OpenCable is a set of hardware and software specifications under development in the United States by CableLabs to "define the next-generation digital consumer device" for the cable television industry. OpenCable uses SCTE standards for the video, transport and various interface requirements, but also adds a requirement for a Java based software interpreter to support the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP), and a decryption system for protected content employing CableCARDs or the proposed software-based Downloadable Conditional Access System (DCAS).
OpenCable Application Platform OpenCable Application Platform, or OCAP, is an operating system layer designed for consumer electronics that connect to a cable television system like Comcast or Cox Cable. Unlike operating systems on a personal computer, the cable company controls what OCAP programs run on the consumer's machine.
OpenCanvas openCanvas, popularly abbreviated as oC, is an art program for Microsoft Windows popular among Japanese digital artists. Portalgraphics, the company that created it, originally released it as freeware, but moved to a demo/retail model starting with version 2.
OpenCores OpenCores is a loose community of people who are interested in developing digital open source hardware through electronic design automation, with a similar ethos to the free software movement and the open source movement. OpenCores hope to eliminate redundant design work and slash development costs.
OpenCourseWare OpenCourseWare (OCW) is university material that is available for all to see and use, analogous to open source software; the materials are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license"Legal Notices".
OpenCVS OpenCVS is a BSD-licensed implementation of the popular Unix version control software called Concurrent Versions System. OpenCVS is developed as a part of the OpenBSD project by Jean-Francois Brousseau, Joris Vink, Xavier Santolaria, Niall O'Higgins and others.
OpenDBX The OpenDBX library provides a unified and consistent API for software developers to different database management systems. The function library is written in the C programming language and aims at implementing access to the native database interfaces efficiently via a thin abstraction layer.
OpenDemocracy openDemocracy is a website for debate about international politics and culture. openDemocracy features articles by academics and policymakers, and "aims to fill a gap in the relationships between contemporary media and democratic political
OpenDocument OpenDocument or ODF, short for the OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications, is a document file format used for exchanging electronic documents such as memos, reports, books, spreadsheets, charts, and presentations. This standard was developed by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards consortium and based upon the XML format originally created and implemented by the OpenOffice.
OpenDocument adoption This following is an overview of governments and other organizations around the world that are evaluating the use of OpenDocument, an open document file format for saving and exchanging editable office documents. See Standard office document formats debate for more information about the ongoing adoption debate.
OpenDocument software comparison The OpenDocument format (ODF), short for the OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications, is an open document file format for saving and exchanging editable office documents such as text documents (including memos, reports, and books), spreadsheets, databases, charts, and presentations. This standard was developed by the OASIS industry consortium, based upon the XML-based file format originally created by OpenOffice.
OpenDocument technical specification This document describes the technical specifications of the OpenDocument office document standard, as developed by the OASIS industry consortium. The standard was publicly developed by a variety of organizations, and is publicly accessible, meaning it can be implemented by anyone without restriction.
OpenDOS OpenDOS is a freeware DOS-like and MS-DOS-compatible operating system. It is not "free software" following the definition of "Free software foundation", but it is available for private usage including source code at no cost.
OpenDWG The OpenDWG file format is a commercial project of The Open Design Alliance to make a fully interchangeable version of the popular DWG Computer Aided Design (CAD) file format to make CAD drawings more accessible and increase competition in the market for CAD software. A number of leading commercial CAD products now make use of the OpenDWG libraries to open and save files in DWG.
OpenEaagles OpenEaagles is an open source framework designed to support the rapid construction of virtual (human-in-the-loop) and constructive simulation applications. It has been used extensively to build DIS compliant distributed simulation systems.
OpenEHR The openEHR Foundation is a not for profit foundation supporting the open research, development, and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs). Its specifications are based on a combination of 15 years of research into EHRs and new paradigms, including "two-level modelling", implemented as "archetypes" and "templates".
OpenEmbedded The OpenEmbedded Project (OE for short) is a software framework to create Linux distributions aimed for embedded devices. It was created by merging the achievements of OpenZaurus in addition with contributions of projects like Familiar and OpenSIMpad into a common codebase.
OpenEXR OpenEXR is a high dynamic range imaging image file format, released as an open standard along with a set of software tools created by Industrial Light and Magic, released under a Free software license similar to the BSD license.
Openfiler Openfiler is a project for a free software/open source Network Attached Storage (NAS) OS distribution created by Xinit Systems. Openfiler, combined with the underlying Linux-based operating system, aims to deliver a file-based NAS system and block-based Storage Area Networking (SAN) in a single framework.
OpenFormula OpenFormula is the name of a draft open standard for exchanging recalculated formulas in spreadsheets, as well as the name of the project to refine this specification. OpenFormula is a draft addition to the OpenDocument standard (ISO/IEC 26300).

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