Bruce Slater <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thanks Ignacio for those edits and additions. > Anyone, > Any thoughts on a larger published work either in peer-reviewed or > web-published?
How about http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/321/7267/976 PubMed is your friend - a search of "Open source" yields 139 hits... Tim C > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ignacio Valdes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <openhealth-list@minoru-development.com> > Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 8:38 PM > Subject: Re: Urgent need for open source author/editor and references > > > > The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) approach to system > development > > has a rich history from the beginnings of the modern computer age. The > > > GNU/Linux operating system was developed by a group of people > interested > > in creating an operating system that retained important user and > developer > > rights, such as the right to modify the software. Like Freedom of > Speech, > > these rights are important to retain, but are not usually invoked by > the > > majority of users. No one person or entity owns the Linux/GNU > operating > > system. It is used by virtue of a GNU General Public License (GPL) > which > > stipulates that the source code (human readable) of the project must > be > > available at no additional cost to users. Most GPL'ed source code is > > delivered along with object code (computer executable) for free or > nominal > > cost of the recordable media that contains it. The value of open > source > > initiatives comes from the dynamic interplay of users helping each > other > > solve unique and common problems with shared computer code writing > duties. > > All parties benefit from this collaborative approach which has more in > > > common with health research than proprietary software. Because the > United > > States must develop a solution that any health provider anywhere in > the > > country can exchange information with any other provider, the FOSS > > approach can yield superior results by avoiding problems of trade > secrets > > in proprietary software and the weaknesses of using open-standards > only. > >