Opening Up To Open Source Author’s Book Sheds Light On Coding, Cost Advantages To Help School Curriculums

A local man has made it his mission to spread the word about open source software, hoping that school districts will take advantage of more affordable options to incorporate technology into classroom curriculums.

As an advocate for computer and technology education, Chris Whittum published a book that he hopes will encourage educators, both locally and across the nation, to explore the advantages of open source software.

Open source software refers to software that makes its coding available, allowing modifications and enhancements by users to change how the software operates. Computer programmers, who access the software’s source code, can add features or modify elements in ways that benefit the user.

Most computer users typically operate software that cannot be legally modified by anyone but the organization that created the program, maintaining exclusive control over the software’s functionality. This software is known as proprietary software, which includes many Microsoft Office and Adobe programs. In order to utilize these types of programs, the user must agree to a set of terms, and, in many cases, must purchase rights to use or download the program.