Open Opportunity
The Linux Foundation reported that the value of it's open source projects exceed $5 billion dollars. IBM (International Business Machines) reported that the market for Linux servers, applications, software and operating systems surpassed $57 billion in 2014. The market has almost doubled over the past five years.
Many will be shocked to find that the statements above are about software that they have ownership rights to. They will find it incredible to believe that they have full access and rights to that $5 billion dollars worth of software and to the blue prints.
IBM and other large companies are not surprised and used open source software to generate the $57 billion mentioned in the opening paragraph. You have the same rights and access as these large companies and can use that same $5 billion dollars in software and investment to benefit you. The first step is to know that the opportunity exists.
In Plain Sight
The economic opportunity provided by Free and Open Source Software appears to be a secret kept in plain sight. While most people have heard the term (Open Source) and are aware of Linux, WordPress, Apache, and many other Open Source applications, most are not fully aware of the opportunities that this software makes available to them.
Most understand that Open Source is software that can be acquired and used at no cost. However, many are not aware that the Open Source license grants everyone rights in addition to the right to use the software.
A Free Software licenses ensures that the public has commercial and creative rights to that software. The commercial and creative rights include the rights to reproduce, modify and sell the software. Typically, the only restrictions for free software licenses have the goal of ensuring that neither the software nor its derivatives become non-free.
The Open Source license legally guarantees and protects these rights to everyone. This is an incredible gift with unbelievable financial value, however many are unaware that they have been given this once in a generation opportunity.
Imagine that Microsoft announces that they are transferring the rights for all Microsoft software to everyone and developing a new license as a gift. The new license will ensure that everyone has access to the blue prints for the software and that everyone has the rights to sell, copy, modify and support the software. The new agreement will ensure that no one can take these rights from you but will require that anything you build from the software should be shared with others.
You would own the blue prints for the software running the majority of desktop computers and many servers as well. There would be millions of clients and billions of dollars of spent annually on software, support and maintenance. Do you think having access and the rights to all of this would provide economic opportunity for you? You would have the option to support, build, sell and/or use the software to make money in any way that you could imagine. The opportunity would be incredible.
For Open Source software the scenario imagined with Microsoft is not a fantasy. Open Source software is the dominate category of software used on the Internet today and its use continues to grow and expand. It is not a shock that this opportunity is primarily being leveraged by the elites in society, while the average person is largely unaware.
Why The Secret?
This information and opportunity are not really being kept secret but few seem to be interested in educating the masses. Many who are aware are busy learning and leveraging this opportunity for themselves. Anyone looking for the opportunity of a life time should learn more.
The lack of information on the economic potential is partially due to the fact that the leaders of the Open Source movement did not focus on the economic opportunity. They believed that software source had be be available and visible to improve the quality of software developed and to ensure that no small group controlled computer software. They focused on the issues of public good and liberty as the driving motives for free software. The economic opportunity is a bi-product of software freedom and and not a primary goal for the movement. However, the opportunity created has not been lost on the Wall Street, business and/or governments.
Corporations, governments and knowledgeable individuals are utilizing open source software in record numbers to decrease costs, increase profits, develop products and create wealth. Our goal is to increase awareness of open source and to assist everyone in leveraging its economic and social value. Learn how to use open source to create opportunity and wealth.
Financial Opportunity
Personal Opportunity - Free software gives you access to billions of dollars of software at no cost. Use this software for your business, personal use or to develop a profitable skill. Access to source code provides access to a level of capabilities/information that companies protect though copyrights. Open source is a core component of the Internet and it is available to you. Leverage the billions of dollars in resources and capabilities to build a career, establish a business or change the world. The potential is endless for those who understand the opportunity.
Business Opportunity - Goldman Sachs, IBM and countless large corporations are leveraging open source to reduce costs, develop products and increase their bottom lines. Learn what these companies know about open source and how open source can give you the advantage.
U.S. Government - On January 20 2009, President Obama's first day in office, the Open Government initiative was issued to provide transparency and access to Government data. Learn how our Government is using open source and the opportunities this provides for you. Leverage Use open Government data or
Free Books
The Free Books Library is a collection of thousands of the most popular public domain books in an online readable format. The collection includes great classical literature and more recent works where the U.S. copyright has expired. These books are yours to read and use without restrictions.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.
Free Software
Free Software provides computer programs and capabilities at no cost but more importantly, it provides the freedom to run, edit, contribute to, and share the software. The importance of free software is a matter of access, not price. Software at no cost is a benefit but ownership rights to the software and source code is far more significant.
Free Office Software - The Libre Office suite provides top desktop productivity tools for free. This includes, a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation engine, drawing and flowcharting, database and math applications. Libre Office is available for Linux or Windows.
Linux is an open source computer operating system (OS) used on laptops, games, watches and super computers. The software and the source code used for Linux are both available to you at no cost. Use this powerful resource to your advantage.
Source Code - Want to change a program or know how it works? Open Source provides the source code for its programs so that anyone can use, modify or learn how to write those programs themselves. Visit the GNU source code repositories to download the source.
Educational Materials
Study at Harvard, Stanford or MIT - Open edX provides free online courses from Harvard, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley and other top Universities. Hundreds of courses for almost all major subjects and course levels. Open edx also offers some paid courses and selected certifications.
Linux Manual Pages - A man or manual page is a form of software documentation found on Linux/Unix operating systems. Topics covered include computer programs (including library and system calls), formal standards and conventions, and even abstract concepts.
