But as small as Dallam might appear on the map, it has claimed a much more prominent piece of real estate on the World Wide Web. A quick check on Yahoo for Texas counties lists Dallam right next to densely populated Dallas. The Web is the great equalizer -- and Dallam wouldn't be on the Web without open-source software.
Open-source software is software that allows end-users to view and modify the "source code" to best fit their own needs. Often available for free, it is the antithesis of the Microsoft model of development, in which the source code is guarded like the crown jewels and complex software is sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars. While often not suited for desktop users, open-source software has found a home in IT departments nationwide.
Price is Right
Dallam County's Web presence was established by County Treasurer Wes Ritchey. But it didn't initially look like a Web site was in the cards. The county could afford a computer; it just couldn't afford the high price of a secure operating system (OS) and server software necessary to host the site. A commercial OS alone can cost more than $1,000.
"To be real honest, I could not have gotten the money approved to buy [Windows] NT or [Sun] Solaris," said Ritchey. "I think that it would have been too big a jump for a small county to invest that."
Instead, Ritchey opted to use Linux, an open-source clone of the UNIX operating system with the Apache Web server running on top. Both Linux and Apache are open-source and available for free. Ritchey bought Red Hat Linux, a commercial version of the software that offers extras such as documentation and support. The total cost for Red Hat was $89.
"It came down to the bottom line for us," admitted Ritchey. "It's a good use of taxpayer money to use open-source software." But, it isn't all about the Benjamins. "If I was going to set up another server and I had money, I would still use Linux and Apache," he said.
Open Security
Another reason many are turning to open-source networking solutions is the security. On the surface, it would appear that the ability to view the source code would be a liability to security. Malicious crackers could see exactly how your network functions and find weaknesses. But, in practice, open-source development has produced some of the most secure software out there. OpenBSD, another free UNIX clone, is often cited as the most secure operating system on the market.
Thousands of crackers have subjected OpenBSD to all sorts of attacks with one common goal: to make it better. The ability to view the source code becomes a benefit, rather than a liability, as that code is scrutinized by hundreds of programmers for security flaws. FreeBSD, a distant cousin, powers Yahoo's Internet site.
Other open-source tools can make a network even more secure. SAINT (Security Administrator's Integrated Network Tool) -- a more pious version of SATAN (Security Administrator's Tool for Analyzing Networks) -- probes a network for security flaws and analyzes the results. SAINT can also be used to map network topology and perform other common system-administration functions.
Serving Notice to Windows
Network administrators looking for a file-server solution are no longer tied to the Windows platform. Samba, another open-source software suite, allows many open-source operating systems to serve files using Microsoft's Server Message Block protocol. In fact, according to a test conducted by the magazine Sm@rt Reseller in January, Samba running on Linux served Windows files faster than Windows itself -- except under the lightest of client loads.
As the client load grew, so did Linux's performance. According to the survey, "Once the load moves to 12 clients, all the Linux platforms take commanding leads over NT. At 32 clients, SuSE, the weakest Linux, has more than double NT's throughput, and Red Hat, the leader, extends its lead to almost 250 percent of NT's performance."
Less Crash for Less Cash
Another appeal of Linux is its near legendary stability. Anecdotal stories float around the Web of servers that have run years without a crash. This is often attributed to the open-source model of software development. Since every single user has access to the source code, thousands of programmers have analyzed that code for potential problems and made suggestions for enhancements.
Security and performance bugs are squashed quickly and effectively by the open-source community, sometimes within hours of their discovery.
"The more eyes you have looking at code, the more bugs get fixed," said Jim Jagielski, a core programmer of the Apache Software Foundation, "the more people say, 'Oh, there's a way you can do this better,' or 'This could be a problem.'"
But, consumers remain doubtful of products that are not created by a major corporation. That fear is especially common in government, where open-source products are not listed on any schedule of approved products, and IT personnel may not have the clout to implement a free solution. According to a recent survey by Netcraft, Apache represents 60 percent of the total Web-server market, but it only runs 27 percent of the .gov Web sites.
"It's a shame that the government isn't more in tune with the open-source movement," said Jagielski. "It produces better software; software that can move and change quicker, more secure software. But there's also a metaphysical aspect to this, where we're all in this together and we're going to help each other out."
