In keeping with that tradition, the university s Information Technology Division has adopted open source as a strategic philosophy for academic computing. Open source is an increasingly popular computing strategy that makes source code the code that runs computer software part of the public domain rather than the property of a specific company. Experts believe that approach promotes increased software reliability and quality by encouraging independent review and rapid improvement of the source code. It s a good bet that it will continue to grow and mature, first in operating systems, then in applications far beyond what we see now.
Open source shows up in the news most often in stories about the Linux operating system.
But Sam Averitt, NC State vice provost for information technology, explains that Linux has little to do with the university s new open source focus. There s a lot of confusion that open source is Linux, and that s simply not correct. Averitt said a wide variety of open source computer applications and platforms will be available and will evolve in the next few years. Many NC State faculty and staff members will want to be able to use those tools, he said. If we do not consciously choose options that anticipate development in information technology, we will end up with limited options.