After writing last week’s blog about open source software for art educators, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the technical marvels that have been created by passionate people. I want to review one more open source software package that is not necessarily specific to art teachers (Celestia), because I find it both clever and very revealing. Before going over the specifics about why this package is worth your time, I want to ask the class to help me define what the difference is between open source, freeware and shareware.
Si Chen writes on her blog, http://opensourcestrategies.blogspot.com/2005/09/freeware-vs-shareware-vs-open-source.html, that all three terms refer to “free” software, but all are based on different business models. Chen cites freeware as “software which can be downloaded, used, and copied without restrictions.” He explains that the main difference between freeware and open source is that users of freeware do not have access to its code, and therefore are not welcome to improve upon it by making changes to it.
Chen claims that shareware is a different animal. According to Chen, shareware is not really free, just a “Free Sample.” Eventually we are required to purchase the software to continue to use it past its trial date, and of course, the user does not have access to its code either.
Chen also points out that while open source means that the source code of the software is free to use, change and reuse, some levels of support and documentation may cost you cash. He also makes the generalizations that “ Freeware is usually a very small program, released by a student or enthusiast…Shareware is usually a mid-sized utility or application, written by a professional developer or small software company. The developer or publisher does not have the resources to market it, so they release it as shareware with a “try-before-you-buy” business model…Open source spans the gamut, but the largest “free” software out there are all open source.”
Do you think the above definitions are missing some important details, or has Chen summarized the most important points? More importantly, does anyone know of a good grading software, comparable to Micrograde, that is Mac compatible and OPEN SOURCE? I’m tired of spending 75 dollars every year for it.
On to Celestia: I have been contemplating buying a telescope for my niece, but first I wanted to see how much she could learn about the solar bodies through the computer. I wanted to see if the digitally generated models from the program would increase her understanding of the universe. Well, I didn’t get that far, because I still haven’t mastered its controls enough to demonstrate anything to her.
I downloaded the program and installed it in seconds, but did not bother to read any help text that came with it, because I just don’t do that sort of thing! I have figured out how to view the galaxy from any point in it, increase the speed of any orbiting body, and close-up to various celestial bodies. There were no nymphs, but this window-view of the heavenly creation was still pretty cool. I just need to read the damn user guide before I share it with my super intelligent niece. I suppose that I could claim that Celestia isn’t user friendly enough or intuitive enough to allow me to just jump right in and utilize everything it has to offer, but I have been toying with it late at night. Seeing as though I may have been a little slow at those times, it would be unfair for me to come to that conclusion.
“The asteroid which is headed towards a very
close passage by Mars in late January 2008.”
- from www.celestiamotherlode.net
Radha –
That software sounds pretty cool – I would have loved it when I was a middle school science teacher! I have to agree with you though, as terrible as it sounds, I also hate reading the instructional manuals on equipment. But the fact that they’re moderately challenging to navigate does not necessarily mean that they’re user unfriendly, either, just user challenging. In my opinion, sometimes the software you need to purchase is just as challenging to navigate – I still have trouble sometimes with my itunes. (but that’s just me.)
I’d be really interested to see what the facets of the Celestia program are. I suppose I should do some research, too, to see if there is any open source theology information – somehow that doesn’t grab everyone’s attention the same way that the solar system does. If you happen to come across any in your quest to find challenging and educational material for your niece, keep me posted! Thanks for the info about Celestia – the image is pretty amazing.