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BMC Networks is commited to Open Source projects. So, what does open source mean?
Open source software is similar in idea to "free software" but slightly less rigid than the free software movement. In general, open source refers to any program whose source code is made available for use, modification and redistribution as users or other developers see fit. (Historically, the makers of proprietary software have generally not made source code available.) Open source software is usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available.
What does this mean for you? Low cost for one! Typically, open source software is available for free (or at a minimal cost) and it is not necessary to purchase additional licenses for every computer that the program is to be installed on or for every person who is going to use the software. Open source software not only has a lower acquisition cost than proprietary software, it often has lower implementation and support costs as well.
How about security? With open source solutions, no longer are you limited by development cycles of traditional software. No longer must you rely on bug or security fixes based on the schedule of a software company.
Here's one example: In January 1999, attackers were able to plant a Trojan Horse version of the TCP/Wrappers tool on a well-known FTP site -- since source code is available, the back door was quickly noticed and removed. Contrast this with a monolithic operating system like Microsoft Windows, which has tens of millions of lines of secret, bug-ridden code. Without access to the source code, customers are 100% reliant on the good will and competence of the Microsoft Corporation, an entity with a well documented record of malicious behavior.
Are we against Microsoft? No. Microsoft is just the most well known example. There is a time and place to use Microsoft or other proprietary software products. However, we feel that users should be aware, not only with the problems of certain proprietary products, but also present our customers with alternate solutions.
Naturally, just because a program's source is available doesn't necessarily means it's secure. "Security through disclosure" isn't foolproof,but it's usually stronger than "security through obscurity."
Below are some software products we like and are proud to be using!
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OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites (including Microsoft Office), the product is free to download, use, and distribute. |
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Firefox is Mozilla's award-winning next generation Web browser. |
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Thunderbird is Mozilla's next generation e-mail client. Thunderbird makes emailing safer, faster and easier than ever before. |
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Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. Debian uses the Linux kernel (the core of an operating system), but most of the basic OS tools come from the GNU project; hence the name GNU/Linux. |
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CentOS is an Enterprise-class Linux Distribution derived from sources freely provided to the public by a prominent North American Enterprise Linux vendor. CentOS conforms fully with the upstream vendors redistribution policy and aims to be 100% binary compatible. |
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Mandriva is a worldwide Linux and Open Source leader providing easy-to-use solutions to individuals and organizations. |
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Apache has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996. The November 2005 Netcraft Web Server Survey found that more than 70% of the web sites on the Internet are using Apache, thus making it more widely used than all other web servers combined.
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PHP (recursive acronym for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor") is a widely-used Open Source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML.
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The MySQL® database has become the world's most popular open source database because of its consistent fast performance, high reliability and ease of use. It's used in more than 10 million installations ranging from large corporations to specialized embedded applications on every continent in the world. (Yes, even Antarctica!)
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Asterisk is the world's leading open source PBX,
telephony engine, and telephony applications toolkit. Offering
flexibility unheard of in the world of proprietary communications,
Asterisk empowers developers and integrators to create advanced
communication solutions...for free.
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FreePBX is a full-featured PBX web application. If you've
looked into Asterisk, you know that it doesn't come with any "built in"
programming. FreePBX simplifies the setup process by giving you pre-programmed functionality
accessible by a user-friendly web interfaces that allows you to have a
fully functional PBX pretty much straight away with no programming
required.
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GnuPG is the GNU project's complete and free implementation of the OpenPGP standard as defined by RFC2440 . GnuPG allows to encrypt and sign your data and communication, features a versatile key managment system as well as access modules for all kind of public key directories.
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Webmin is a web-based interface for system administration for Unix. Using any browser that supports tables and forms (and Java for the File Manager module), you can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and so on.
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TrueCrypt is free open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux. Definately a HOT item.
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Parted Magic is a ~30mb LiveCD/USB with it's only purpose being partitioning hard drives. Although GParted and Parted are the main programs, the CD/USB also offers programs like partimage, testdisk, fdisk, sfdisk, dd, etc...
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Open Source 
