Open vs Closed Systems Essay Example for Free

Open vs Closed Systems Essay The state of Kansas defines OSS (Open Sourced Software) as software for which the source code is freely and publicly available, though the specific licensing agreements vary as to what one is allowed to do with that code. The book defines open source operating systems as those made available in source-code format rather than binary code. Closed source is exactly the opposite. Closed source is proprietary software that is only made available in binary code which is very difficult to reverse engineer. Open-source code is exactly what the programmer developed including all of the comments and notes. Open-source is most commonly confused with free software although the difference is very miniscule however strongly opposed. When all of these ideas are put together we can understand that as an end user with open sourced OS’ we have the ability to see all of the code and modify most of the OS if we have the necessary skills to do so. Whereas with closed source we can only see the code after it has been compiled into binary, or machine code, and only make changes that the programmers allow us to make within the OS. Open Sourced OS When we talk about open-sourced OS’ usually people think of UNIX or Linux. These are great examples of what open- source is. If a user wanted to download a version of Linux to install on his computer he could, and the open source would not cost him a thing. What he may end up paying for is support. Or if he is an experienced developer himself he can do what open-sourced software was originally intended to and make changes to the source himself. This is the biggest difference between open and closed source OS. With open source the individual has the freedom to make absolutely any change he deems necessary to the OS. Imagine being able to change the way Windows works. If you somehow figured out that the Windows OS would always crash when you have exactly 6 explorer windows open what would you do? Well if Windows was an open-source OS you could fix it and compile it. Then you could send the fixed version to the author so it could be updated and distributed to everyone else. That is the beauty of open-sourced OS’. Some can argue that because there are so many more eyes on the open-source systems that it makes them more secure. Closed Source OS Closed-source operating systems are the extreme opposite of open-source. The only form of closed source you can get is binary, which means you’ll have to do some very heavy hex reverse engineering in order to be able to actually understand the code. Closed source OS’ like Microsoft cost hundreds of dollars to buy, and if there’s issues with the latest version, you are forced to wait until Microsoft developers release an update that may fix your issue and yet break another one of your applications. Users are at the mercy of Microsoft at all times. You can make recommendations and complaints about Windows not behaving in a matter that suits your needs, but you can’t do very much more. GNU Public Licenses GNU (GNU Not UNIX) General Public licenses are licenses used for distributing free software. The idea of â€Å"copyright† was flipped around and introduced as â€Å"copyleft† by the FSF (Free Software Foundation). The purpose of â€Å"copylefting† was to do exactly the opposite of copyrighting. Instead of locking the software down and using the full extent of the law against anyone attempting to copy the copyrighted software; a GNU GPL forces the authors to allow anyone to copy and modify the code. The best example of how the GNU GPLs are used is the Linux operating system. Using GNUs UNIX compatible tools, Linus Torvalds created a UNIX like kernel and invited all developers around the world to modify his code and submit it back to him. Using the open source method Linus was able to complete the Linus OS much faster than anyone anticipated. Even though GNU had begun to be developed before Linux, the use of the internet and GNU GPLs allowed Linux to be completed before GNU was. Microsoft Licensing Due to the fact that Microsoft Windows was created to be a closed-source OS, users are forced to pay for a license before being able to download the binary file and install the software. Microsoft licensing copyrights the software and prevents anyone not appointed by Microsoft from viewing and modifying the source code. The advantage of Microsoft licenses is that when vulnerabilities or bugs are found, the end user doesn’t have to worry about figuring out how to fix it. Microsoft developers package the fixes and notify the end user’s OS when they are available for download. For an end user with no programming experience, the Microsoft Licensing scheme is a perfect scenario. Of course it costs a nice chunk of change, but for some people ignorance is bliss. The obvious disadvantage to this licensing structure is the complete opposite. The end users are completely powerless to fix known vulnerabilities and bugs. Microsoft has been able to blow past the competitors because of the availability of Volume licensing and software assurance policies. The biggest customer any software company can have is the government. When Microsoft started offering proprietary software that was easily deployable in any environment, the government and most other large companies were enticed into buying into the Microsoft Licensing closed source idea. Conclusion As a rule of thumb a person should never completely close any door even after seeing what’s inside and turning the other way. In one hand open-source OS’ can be extremely useful because they are easily modified and tailored to ones need. Along with the fact that there seems to always be someone interested in helping with code and the development of useful software. Most of the time, these programmers are not getting paid and are mostly just looking for a challenge. And on the other hand when money isn’t an issue and the knowledge of code is an issue, one can easily find themselves completely absorbed in the closed source way of life. Is either one better than the other? Maybe in some scenarios, but neither can nor should be considered a failure of societies way of thinking.

Effective Communication Skills in a Diverse Workplace Essay -- work, j

As we all know diversity plays a big part in United States today, so the focus of this essay will be on effective communication skills in a diverse workplace, we’re going to find out the barriers of communication between different cultures, how important is diversity to all corporation/organization and how to improve our communication style/skills and how to become better listeners in order to avoid any lack of communication in the near future interactions. Anybody in a work environment having a good understanding of effective communication skills in a diverse workplace entails will enhance every person’s ability to experience a successful and professional work experience. Misinterpretations in the workplace can be rooted from a variety of cultural differences among distinctive ethnic backgrounds. Lack of proper communication skills in diverse workplace can cause many discrepancies among co-workers. People live in an increasingly complex world. Effective communication between fellow co-workers from different cultural backgrounds ensures a very successful organization. As we already know in today’s workplace it is very important to be able to communicate with our fellow’s co-workers. If you ever been around and listened to a monotone person communicate, it’s hard to understand their feelings on a subject. Unless they incorporate their gestures and tone, we are not going to be able to see their point of view and understand their meanings. We live and work around different cultures which it make us more aware of the different people around us, by dealing with diversity on the daily basic this will help us communicate better in the Workplace as well as personal interactions. â€Å"We live in a diverse society and career success de... ... and communication. Great communication always starts at the top. For us to become great communicators we first need to be great listeners. Works Cited Ronald B. Adler, Jeanne Marquardt Elmhorst, Communicating at Work Columbus, OH McGraw-Hill Companies, 2004. Judy C. Pearson, Paul E Nelson, Scott Titsworth, Lynn Harter. Human Communication. Columbus, OH McGraw-Hill Companies, 2003. Certo, Samuel C. (2008). Supervision concepts &ump; skill-building. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Maxwell, John C. (1999). The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Conrad, C. & Poole, M. Strategic Organizational Communication in a Global Economy. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2002. McNamara, C. Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Authenticity Consulting, LLC., 2003.

A License for the Future

Many of our nation’s children are brought up in an environment that is ill conducive to their well-being and thus fails to provide them with necessary skills and traits requisite for future success.There are many things that contribute to molding a child’s personality—such as friends, television, and school. However, it is the parents that are the main determining factor in the child’s development, because they are the highest authority in regard to the child, by deciding such things as what schools the child will attend and directly as well as indirectly influencing the child simply through the relationship they share and the behaviors they set forth as example.Therefore, with this in mind, it is of the most crucial importance that there should be some form of parental licensing system established.There must be a parent licensing system to ensure that children are in the care of capable guardians. Amid some of the incapable guardians can include the menta lly handicapped, teenagers, and social delinquents.Individuals of these kinds may sometimes not be suitable parents merely from a lack of emotional stability as well as insufficient mental capacities necessary for understanding the needs of a child, inability to set their priorities straight due to immaturity, and also problems of the different kinds of abuse—physical, verbal, or even drug related.These are the kinds of conditions that are almost guaranteed to harm a child’s development. There are alternatives to leaving a child in the custody of biological parents, which include foster care and adoption. Foster care, however, can be a dreadful environment for a child to grow up in.Foster parents can oftentimes be abusive, and due to the child knowing that they are not with their biological parents they may have greater cause to rebel; this, along with abuse, may produce problems that send them from foster home to foster home, which, all of this being considered, is ce rtainly an unstable environment for a child to grow up in.Adoption results in a family similar to one where the child’s guardians are their actual parents, yet the only considerable difference is that they are not the biological parents.Any problems found in an adopted family that could lead to the child’s poor development will also be found in a family where the parents are biological. This clearly shows that even the alternatives require some strict form of parental licensing system.It is accepted that children must be taken care of and kept safe, but almost never looked at why. So, for the moment, I would like to look at the reasons.Children are the future, and it is essential to keep them safe to ensure their development and success. If a child is raised effectively, then they will be less likely to contribute to crime and more likely to add to the safe guard of others. With the decrease of children turning into criminal adults, there will be less strain put on the government.Thus, there will be more money for more important things such as education, health benefits, and well-needed repairs in society. In addition, more qualified and capable people will regulate the government due to their effective upbringing as children. Furthermore, the overall social well-being of citizens, simply from the decrease of criminal activities, will be higher and produce safer communities.Parent licensing will be established in a similar manner as the licenses that are already required for performing many other acts. Just as we require licensing for activities dealt with by drivers and physicians—activities that are potentially harmful to others—parent licensing will be established because of the severity of injuries that can be caused to children and the future that they are to be a part of.Many people believe that parent licensing would be inappropriate because it would intrude into their lives. However, the invasion would be only at the beginni ng and at a later period of time if there were probable cause that showed necessity for attention.Similarly, when someone gets their drivers license, at the beginning they give out all of the information required, and later there will only be an intrusion if they were involved in a car accident or something significant that requires their attention. Furthermore, people will have plenty of opportunity to obtain a parent license if they desire to do so.Much like a drivers license, if they do not show qualifications for at least the minimal competence required to drive, then they have an opportunity to do so at a later time; until then they can take a course or study to prepare for the test. Thus, people who do not have the capability to attain a parent license the first time around, may be inspired to take the necessary steps to ensure that they obtain their parenting license.Many people would object by saying that it would be too difficult to apply and put too much financial strain o n the government. They claim it is too difficult because there are most likely more children waiting for adoption than there are individuals willing to adopt, let alone individuals qualified as being an adopter.Also, they say that by not allowing some children, as unfortunate as it is, to be raised in a household not entirely appropriate for their upbringing, far more funds will need to be provided to programs that exist as temporary housings for those children who have not yet been found suitable caretakers.However, parent licensing is the best we can do to ensure that the children are brought up in a manner suitable to guarantee their success and development. It is true that in the beginning it may be costly and difficult, but this is only looking at the present, for in the future it will be beneficial.The strain on government would be likely to go down enormously because, as noted earlier, there would be less social delinquents committing criminal acts, which would require less f acilities or programs dealing with crimes, and it will produce an overall social environment. The government will be well run with people well qualified for positions.If we are to allow driver’s licenses then we should most definitely have parent licensing. If you hit someone with your car, it is not going to create a chain reaction; they may get injured but once they are healed it does not mean that they are going to go out and hit other cars themselves.However, parenting is a delicate thing, for a child is being raised who is active and can influence the world around him or her on a daily basis—for good or bad. This child, as is possible, if turned out as incompetent, can become an inadequate parent as well, and thus raise an incompetent child of their own. So, as is evident from all that has been thus far enumerated, parent licensing is a necessity that must be established.

I Will Debate My Middle - 1379 Words

I hold the following position- Must Not, Must, Can. I will debate my middle â€Å"must† with a middle â€Å"must-not† position. In essence, this would be debating my middle â€Å"must† against the Friedman-ian point of view. Friedman and the supporter of his views argue that for all publically traded firms, CEOs are agents of the shareholder, and by virtue of them being in that role, their primary fiduciary responsibility is to watch the interest of the shareholders and maximize the returns to the shareholders. Inasmuch as that, all decisions from the managers of these firms have to be for one and only one purpose – maximizing the shareholder’s profit. These include decisions that authorize spending of the firm’s money on activities of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). Any act performed by the managers that violates their primary fiduciary responsibility and reduces the returns to the shareholders can be compared to the act of stealing, thereby making that act illegal and unethical. To demonstrate the basis of the argument, consider a scenario where a person A gives person B 100 dollars to run a business and create additional dollars from the original 100 dollars. With his skills, B manages to create a 20 dollar profit, i.e. he creates 120 dollars from the original 100 dollars. However, when returning the money back, B takes out 10 dollars, keeps it in his pocket and returns only 110 dollars to A. In doing this, B takes away 10 dollars profit from A. 10 dollars that technicallyShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Foreign Policy936 Words   |  4 Pagesdaily life.Every day, I stay updated on current events. The BBC app on my phone is what I visit the most in a day, more than Snapchat. 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