Open Source at the BBC: When, Why, Why not & How

Michael Sparks, [email protected], http://kamaelia.sf.net/Kamaelia

Michael SparksSenior Research Engineer

BBC Research

[email protected] World London 2006

Open Sourceat the BBC


CurrentlySenior Research Engineer

BBC Research

PreviouslySoftware engineer and networkengineer at a mixture of public

and private companies

This talk is based on experienceof both public and private

company usage ofopen source

Who am I?


This talk will be summarised as a text

document and go online Friday, after

Linux World is over, and be linked from

the Kamaelia website

(hence link & contact details at the bottom of every page!)

This talk


Themes forthis talk

Whynot

How

Why

When


Use

Context

Improve

Originate

Overview


Context


Uses & createsopen source software

The BBC...


Uses & createsProprietary Systems

The BBC...


Why?Good business and

public service reasons


TerminologyFree/Libre, Open Source Software


TerminologyOpen Source:

Focus on approach... ...not politics


When, Why, Why not& How to...


Use

Collaboratively Improve

Originate


Use


Obvious Question:Why use open

source?

The BBC...


No specific policy for or against

The BBC...


Tools are evaluated on their merits

The BBC...


Adaptability to the business is a merit


Open source is adaptable


Better Question:Why avoid open source software?


Would you ask:Why avoid

proprietary software?


Would you ask:Why avoid

proprietary software? Ok, some at this conference yes,but generally speaking it would

be taken as a given


To avoid open source solutions ...


... would limit the BBC's choices


.. cuts you off from useful technologies


.. cuts you off from community

developments


... would avoiding Apple & even some Microsoft products


... would avoiding Apple & even some Microsoft products

Since even these suppliers have some usefulsoftware which either are or or based on open source.


Open source software is difficult to avoid


Especially on the Internet


When to evaluate using an open source

solution?


When you are looking for a new solution


When you are looking for a new solution... alongside anyother solutions


Why use an open source solution?


Because it provides for the business need in the appropriate way


Why not use an open source solution?


If it does not provide for the business need in the appropriately


How to use an open source solution?


Same way as aproprietary solution


Obtain & install


Hire appropriate staff


Hire a consultant


Hire a services company


How does the BBC use open source?


How does the BBC use open source?

Some highlights


Network InfrastructureApache, Perl, Python,

MySQL, Linux

Proprietary systems are also used here

The BBC...


Desktop ApplicationsFirefox

Open Office(in some areas)

Proprietary systems are much more widely used here

The BBC...


DesktopsMac OS X

Linux(in BBC Research)

Microsoft Windows is the dominant desktop OS at present

The BBC...


Benefits to the BBC


Adaptability

StabilitySecurity

MaintainabilityStandards

Market Expertise


Improve


We're talking about contributing back


Maintenance


You have a problem not seen before


You fix itor you report it


By contributing back you reduce your

maintenance burden


... and encourage others to do the same


What is contribution?


Code is the most obvious contribution


Bug fixes are the most welcome contribution


A bug report is contributing back


Documentationerrors are bugs


Intelligent questions can lead to improved

documentation


Talking about usage is contributing back


Why does the BBC contribute back?


Why does the BBC contribute back?

Perhaps not as often as it would like


For all the previous reasons, but also a

special one


Open source is very similar to traditional

standardisation


Any interested and capable party is

welcome to participate


Long standing tradition of working in

standards bodies


May contribute to any existing project where

it benefits the BBC


Contributing backas a business


When to contribute to an open source

project?


When you have solved a problem or need to solve one


Why contribute back to an open source

solution?


Because it helps the product get better,

which in turn makes it more valuable to you


Why not contribute back to an open source project?


When doing so may reveal business or

personal confidential information


How to contribute back to an open source project?


Contribute repeatable, clear,

focussed bug reports

..without expectations


Contribute clear, focussed bug fixes


Make them focussedFollow project culture

Make them easy to applyMake them relevant

Include docs

If you don't know how, askotheriwise you will look stupid

bug fixes


Make them focussedFollow project culture

Make them easy to applyMake them relevant

Include docs

If you do it right, your company will be respected

bug fixes


Note: Open source is a meritocracy – conceptual

contributions are more important than money


Bluntly:

Start talking about money, and you will often alienate

developers


Bluntly:

Start talking about money, and you will often alienate

developers

even if the work done is often priceless...


If you've never done this, liase through an open

source consultancy

Tip:


ProjectOrigination


We're talking about new open source

projects from the BBC


Why?


Not your core business,not a saleable product


Standards development, encouragement


External collaboration


Peer reviewRepeatability


Will be developed anyway

A key one:



eg: in house tools

A key one:



no feedback == no lossany feedback == benefit



less obvious: increase market sector viability

for your business



less obvious: increase market sector viability

for your businesseg, email, web, the internet as a whole


BBC Open Source


http://www.bbc.co.uk/opensource


Does not host BBC open source projects


Only contains pointers to the projects


Why?


Once you release the code, you are no

longer in control of that code


Community hosting makes it clear the

code is community owned


Code cannot be taken away


What has the BBC originated as open

source projects?


Kamaelia, Dirac, TVAnytime API, Betsie, Media Dispatch, MXF File Test Engine, Video

Shot Change Detector, Media Lounge, Pony, 2

Apache Modules, 10 CPAN Modules, BAP Tools, ID3v2 Chapter tools, Flash tools,

AFFEditPack, ....


Dirac

To develop a royalty free video codec for online and

offline delivery


Dirac

Benefits of release include:Community collaboration,

peer review, and critique by peers for standardisation


Dirac

Downside of release includes:People viewing release of

Dirac as entering direct competition with suppliers

Release enables collaboration


Kamaelia

Original aim: to develop tools for scalable long term online delivery of all BBC content


Kamaelia

Community collaboration is evolving the system into a

general purpose multimedia toolkit


Kamaelia

Revised high level BBC aims: To do for software systems what IKEA has

done for furniture, and spreadsheets have done for traditional business

but for the BBC's business ofstorytelling and distribution


Kamaelia

Benefits of release include: Peer review; a much more

general purpose and hence more generally useful system,and dissemination from R&D

dept into the business


and so on.


Appropriate Licensing

Both preceding use the “Mozilla TriLicense”, why?


MPL – explicit patent grant

GPL – most widely used licenseLGPL – most appropriate for a

library

For prior 2 projects interoperation on all 3 levels

has been impotant


For businesses...


When to originate an open source project?


When you have software developed

inhouse as an overhead not as

product


Why originate an open source project?


When you have aninhouse tool that you

think others will find useful


When it will benefit your market sector

making it more attractive & viable


Communities of companies can generate wealthfor all concerned


To gain competitive advantage –

consumers prefer open platforms


Why not originate an open source project?


When you gainreal competitive

advantage by not doing so


When that software is all you sell


If you're not prepared to accept community

contributions


If you're not willing to risk letting go of control of the

codebase


If your code contains secrets of any kind


How to originate an open source project


Create a project on an independent

hosting site


SourceforgeGoogle Code

Berliosetc


Choose a license and understand its implications


Create a contributor agreement


Create mailing lists


GeneralAnnouncementsVersion control

commits


Create a project bloguse it when anything

notable happens


Create a project bloguse it when anything

notable happens


Release something usable


Focus on the code in any release announcement,

not on you


Don't expect instantaneous success


Read how others have done it“Cathedral & Bazaar”

“Producing Open Source Software”

“Hackers & Painters”


Don't expect instantaneous success


Finally


This talk was titled “open source at the BBC”

Proprietary software is as widely if not more widely

used inside the BBC


If you want to use proprietary software the

business world is geared up to help you.


If you want to improve proprietary software the

traditional way is to start a new business


If you want to create proprietary software you

do the same thing


In either case, evaluate each based on their merits


Private businesses havethe option of ideology

as a merit

Public services do not


More information:

BBC OSS FAQs:http://tinyurl.com/yjyx83

Joel on Software – Strategy Letter Vhttp://tinyurl.com/4haso

Cathedral & Bazaarhttp://tinyurl.com/3ald3

This talk will be summarised on my blog:http://yeoldeclue.com/blog

Date post:	06-May-2015
Category:	Economy & Finance
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Open Source at the BBC: When, Why, Why not & How

Economy & Finance