INFORMATICS

INTRODUCTION

Many popular web sites used by population such as Amazon, Yahoo and Google they are example of a OSS/FS which is classified as free software. Today’s nurses have an ever increasing choice of possible software solutions to meet their computing and networking needs.

HISTORY

—  In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, it was normal for computer users to have the freedoms that are provided by free software. Software was commonly shared by individuals who used computers and by hardware manufacturers who were glad that people were making software that made their hardware useful.

Organizations of users and suppliers were formed to facilitate the exchange of software; see, for example SHARE and DICUS. By the late 1960s change was inevitable: software costs were dramatically increasing, a growing software industry was competing with the hardware manufacturer's bundled software products (free in that the cost was included in the hardware cost), leased machines required software support while providing no revenue for software.

Theory of OSS/FS

The two major philosophies in the OSS/FS world is the FSF philosophy and the open source initiative or “OSI”.OSS/FS is contrasted w/proprietary or commercial software.

Proprietary Software-is that on w/c an individual or a company   holds the exclusive copyright.

Commercial software-is software developed by businesses or individuals w/ aim of making money from its licensing and use.

Some Common Acronyms & Terms:

—  OSS –Open Source Software

—  OSS/FS- Open Source Software/Free Software

—  FOSS –Free and  Open Source Software

—  FLOSS- Free/Open Source Software

—  GNU/LINUX- the complete operating System including the Linux kernel , the GNU components and other programs.

FREE SOFTWARE 

                Is a matter of the users’ freedom to run copy, distribute, study, change, and improve the software in any way they wish. A program is only free software if users have all of these freedoms.

OPEN SOURE SOFTWARE

OSS is any software that satisfies the open software initiative’s definition. The open source concept is said to promote software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review and rapid evolution of source code, as well as making the source code of software freely available.

The Open Source

—  1. Free Redistribution

                                The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.

—  2. Source Code

                                The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost preferably, downloading via the Internet without charge.

—  3. Derived Works

                                The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.

—  4. INTEGRITY OF AUTHOR’S SOURCE CODE

                                The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files" with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code.

—  5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups

                                The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.

—  6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor

                                The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.

—  7. Distribution of License

                                The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.

—  8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product

                                The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and used or distributed within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with the original software distribution.

OSS/FS application

—  Operating System

—  Web Browser

—  E- mail client

—  Word Processing

—  Presentation Tools

OSS/FS Health Care Application

—  OpenEHR

—  FreeMED

—  OpenEMR

—  CARE2xs

Open EHR

     The open EHR is an international, not for profit organization that is working toward the development of interoperable. It was created to enable the development of open specifications, software and knowledge resources for health information system.

Free MED

       Is a flagship product of the free MED Software foundation . It is the result of many years of work in developing an OSS/FS electronic medical record and billing system.

Open EMR

       Open EMR is freer open source medical clinic practice management (PM) and EMR application.

CARE2x

     Care2x is one of the few OSS/FS projects to have been originated by a nurse. It aims to develop a practical, integrated healthcare information system.