That said, this blog lists (in no particular order) 4 great open source project management tools that will prove beneficial to organizations that have adopted or are planning to adopt Agile this year. These tools are designed to support Agile-related methodology and practices including Scrum, Kanban etc.

OpenProject

A powerful open source project management tool popular for its ease of use, OpenProject is particularly useful in Agile software development environments. It facilitates effective team collaboration and makes project management much easier with modules that support project planning, scheduling, release planning, time tracking, bug tracking, budgeting, and Scrum as well. Its main features like prioritizing and tracking tasks are integrated with its other modules.

OpenProject is licensed under GPLv3.

Taiga

Taiga is an efficient management tool for Scrum projects and features a Kanban board, tasks, sprints, issues, a backlog, ticket management, wiki-pages, third-party integration support etc. Another awesome fact about Taiga is that it offers a free mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. It’s also possible to migrate from other popular project management applications.

Taiga is also available for free to use for public projects. There is no catch. The number of public projects or the number of users do not have any restrictions. However, for private projects, Taiga can be really useful only if its paid plans are availed. These ‘paid plans’ are available under a ‘freemium’ model and have reasonable price tags for all kinds of organizations. What’s notable is the fact that the features of the application remains the same for both free and paid use.

Taiga is licensed under GNU Affero GPLv3. It requires a stack comprised of Nginx, Python, and PostgreSQL.

MyCollab

MyCollab is unique compared to the tools mentioned above, due to the fact that it’s actually a suite of 3 collaboration modules. It’s intended for SMBs (small-medium sized businesses). The modules include:

• Project management
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Document creation and editing software

Like many other open source software out there, MyCollab comes in two licensing options – a commercial ‘MyCollab Ultimate Edition’ and the open source ‘MyCollab Community Edition’.

The Ultimate edition can be run in the cloud or on premises while the Community edition doesn’t come with a cloud option and is slower as it doesn’t use query cache. Nevertheless, the Community edition does provide great project management features from task management to a Kanban board for Agile teams. It works on mobile devices and computers running on popular operating systems like Windows, Unix, Mac OS, and Linux.

MyCollab is licensed under AGPLv3 and requires MySQL and Java runtime to function.

Odoo

Just like MyCollab, Odoo can also be classified as a suite. As a matter of fact, Odoo is a full, integrated business application suite. Odoo includes human resources, accounting, website, eCommerce, inventory, manufacturing, and various other tools.

The free version of Odoo termed as the Community Edition obviously has limited features unlike the paid version of the suite. However, it can still be of great benefit for organizations providing Agile development services. The latest release, Odoo 11.0, came with a great update with the suite now featuring a Kanban-style task tracking view useful for Agile teams. Odoo also includes Gantt charts, tasks, graphs etc.

Odoo is licensed under GPLv3 and requires Python and PostgreSQL.

Conclusion

This roundup covers only 4 open source project management tools. There are more Agile-friendly tools that can be added to this list. But despite being open source, not all free versions of the said tools can be completely effective. It does require an organization to spend something to get something in return. But the good thing about these tools is that the spend would be a worthy investment.

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Python is also one of the few languages that’s both easy to get started for software development beginners and a powerful tool for experts working on real-world projects. Most developers who work on large-scale projects with sophisticated code bases often use a combination of Python and its many useful IDEs.

That said, here are a few popular cross-platform Python IDEs that developers would find very useful.

1. Eclipse with PyDev

Possibly one of the most popular open source IDEs out there, Eclipse is backed by a large developer community and a plethora of customizable plugins. However, it still has some demerits according to many. Its performance in systems with low hardware specs is often criticized, and many others claim Eclipse is quite bloated.

Nevertheless, Eclipse is still the go-to IDE for developers who shifted from a different language, like Java. Eclipse can be augmented using PyDev, which adds a lot more features to the already useful IDE. PyDev can handle code completion, and can effectively integrate Python debugging.

PyDev is particularly useful for those involved with Django Python web framework, as it facilitates creation of new Django projects, and execute Django actions via hotkeys. It even enables the use of a separate run config for Django. Both PyDev and Eclipse are made available under the Eclipse Public License.

2. PyCharm

PyCharm is a popular commercial Python editor. Its makers also offer a free edition of PyCharm which is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. What makes it popular is the fact that it features everything expected from an IDE – code inspection, integrated code testing and version control, code refactoring, project navigational aspects, and even automated completion.

But not everything is good about this IDE as well. Its open core model is considered by many to be one of its flaws. The fact that many of its advanced features are not available under open source license can be a deal-breaker for many devs. Even without the advanced features, PyCharm is still considered as a great, lightweight Python editor.

3. Eric

A great alternative to PyCharm, Eric itself is written in Python using the Qt framework and is made available under the GPL version 3. The source code editing component of Eric is Scintilla which is also used in various other IDEs and editors.

The IDE packs many features similar to its counterparts including code completion, integrated testing, brace matching etc. Devs involved in Qt GUI development for applications will find Eric quite useful as it features a Qt form preview function. Eric’s massive documentation can be quite annoying, as most devs prefer not to go through the entire PDF. However, learning Eric inside out would give them a totally different perspective on the IDE. It’s still one of the best lightweight, full-featured programming environments available.

Conclusion

The list doesn’t include every best Python IDE there is. These are just our top picks that contribute to leveraging open source technologies effectively. There are still many more useful IDEs that could’ve made it to the list including BlueFish and Spyder. However, these IDEs and Editors can certainly be an asset to people using Python.

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The tools mentioned in this article are all open source, providing solutions to having business data analyzed and presented in a readable format. The following list comprises of both business intelligence and reporting tools.

1. JasperReport

One of the most widely used open source technologies in the business world, JasperReport finds its use mostly in production environments. Community and commercially-supported versions are available.

The key components include JasperReport Library, JasperReport Studio, and JasperReport Server. The JasperReport Library includes all APIs and Java classes that power the tool. The tool licensed under AGPL also makes it easier to integrate with existing IT architecture of organizations. It features praiseworthy documentation support, a wiki, and other useful resources.

2. SpagoBI

SpagoBI is a full business intelligence suite providing many features from reporting to data mining and ETL. What makes SpagoBI unique is the fact that it supports integration with other tools including KeyRock identity manager, CKAN, Orion Context Broker etc. It’s written in Java and licensed under the Mozilla Public License version 2.0.

3. BIRT

The open source Eclipse project was the source of origin for BIRT which was released in 2004. The open source platform sponsored by IBM, OpenText, and Innovent Solutions was designed to help create data visualizations and reports.

Its key components include BIRT runtime and report designer, chart engine, chart designer, and chart viewer. It’s also written in Java, licensed under the Eclipse Public License. BIRT runs on all popular platforms including Windows, Linux, and Mac.

4. Seal Report

Seal Report allows one to generate reports and produce dashboards from any open database. Some of its many features also come with support for Dynamic SQL sources, HTML5 charts, native pivot tables etc. It’s written in C#.

The open source framework requires a recent version of Microsoft Windows to run, along with .NET framework. It’s licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0.

5. KNIME

KNIME is an open source analytics platform originally developed to serve pharmaceutical research. Now it’s a widely popular tool across many sectors including banking, automobile manufacturing, and telecommunication.

KNIME provides many features including a web portal and collaboration extensions, and also includes machine learning and WEKA support. The platform, licensed under the GPL, is written in Java and is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Conclusion

Open source technologies generally have great importance when it comes to software development in the business realm. But it could be just as useful, if not more, in serving other purposes of enterprises especially in data analytics, business intelligence, and reporting.

All the tools mentioned above come with powerful features fit for enterprise use. However, the smarter approach to selecting a tool would be to compare them with respect to the business needs and goals. Because they are open source tools, it’s also possible to seek help from an open source development company to tweak the tool to adapt and align perfectly with your business.

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One such benefit would be the competitive edge an enterprise can get; particularly startups. Despite prevalent security concerns about open source, several enterprises still rely on open source development services to craft custom software that can augment their operations and accelerate growth, and most of them succeed.

Why some are not succeeding even with the power of open source is a question that can be attributed to how they leverage the technology.

That said, here are a few best practices for enterprises to get maximum benefits from an investment in open source technologies.

Patch management

Even if it’s a custom-built software, an enterprise requires a centralized patch management framework. This ensures that patches from vendors are applied to the organization’s infrastructure on time and with efficiency. This is a security aspect that generally raises questions about open source software security.

Yes, the source code is available for all. But it doesn’t necessarily compromise the security of the software as long as the code isn’t made available for the public. The point is that many enterprises neglect certain security vulnerabilities such as the OpenSSL vulnerability. Developers can update components to fortify the software and augment the security. But ignoring vulnerabilities like the one mentioned above can delay updates considerably, giving room for cyber-criminals to infiltrate and cause damage.

That’s why organizations need to cultivate the ability to patch quickly and manage patches. Developers who know what they are doing would recommend cataloging the various open source components to keep track of them. So when a vulnerability is exploited somewhere, they can identify the applications that are at risk from the inventory, and fortify them with patches.

Prescribed policy for leveraging open source

The risk appetite of organizations vary based on their maturity and their targeted markets.  The organization should have a prescribed policy or a set of guidelines regarding how they will use open source software. Lacking such policies might lead the IT team to assume that they can use any open source component. This could, in turn, result in a product brimming with vulnerabilities, incompatible software licenses etc.

Controlled repositories

Optimized modern day IDEs make it possible for developers to get access to large open source libraries within their native environments. However, this may contradict an enterprise’s policies. Organizations can bar access to such repositories giving access only to approved software components.

Using commercial products that regulate and provide access to local cached versions of repositories is a good practice which allows the security team to closely monitor and control which components are included in the final product. Additionally, this practice also ensures that only approved components are used not other versions that may add potential vulnerabilities to the product.

Conclusion

Open source software development is not going to decelerate any time soon, and proves to be the catalyst that brings innovation into the mix in the modern enterprise. However, such widespread use also creates risks. The key is to understand open source components and formulate policies that ensure judicious utilization of the components. This could keep driving innovation without impacting security.

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According to Gartner, an estimated 70% of newly deployed applications would be running on open source databases by 2018.

Integrating open source elements to an application enables developers to cut costs considerably and reduce time-to-market. The immediate future may add to the benefits, but because of technology’s metamorphic nature, the existing and established ways will be replaced with new ones.

Here are a few ways open source technologies can transform enterprises in the coming years.

Critical gaps in the model will become obsolete

Despite its unprecedented growth and the many benefits for developers, the open source model still has many critical gaps that haven’t been addressed yet. One of the most important of those gaps – collaboration, however, is being redressed. By 2018, experts expect seamless collaboration in software development and other sectors with multiple functionalities.

We already have collaborative platforms sporting functionalities like video conferencing, essentially allowing developers to form workgroups. A great example is GitHub.

But it isn’t just collaboration that needs to be addressed. There are obstacles for troubleshooting and technical support as well, more so than we think despite the huge open source community in the internet. Great technical support so far only applies to the more popular open source titles. This ‘hitch’ led to a new trend where open source software will be provided with commercially supported services. Though this can somewhat set things right, this particular gap is expected to be completely taken care of next year.

Security concerns will be addressed

This is something we’ve been hearing for a long time, ever since open source started gaining traction. Security has always been a concern since the source code of open source software is open and free. Because anyone can modify this code, vulnerabilities will most likely be present. This makes it particularly easy for hackers, and particularly threatening for enterprises wanting to use such software.

Things got more complicated after enterprises started shifting to the cloud while using open source software outside the company firewall. All hackers need to do is exploit those vulnerabilities to get access to the system from outside the firewall. This increases the risks of high impact cyber-attacks on profitable applications that enterprises use.

For the past few years, developers and security professionals have been paying close attention to this issue, while figuring out ways to implement effective security mechanisms and encryptions. 2017 increased the stakes. So we can expect some serious progress on this issue next year.

The Open Source – IoT compatibility

Open source established its authority as a preferred platform for the growing IoT. The application is primarily on the automobile industry. Although things look good at the moment with open source technologies being adopted by more businesses for IoT related applications this year, experts estimate that the sector will soon start to be plagued by the same concerns people have when it comes to general open source software.

2018 will be about exploring open source vulnerabilities in the IoT and sector, and hopefully coming up with effective solutions. That said, the automobile industry is certainly going digital and open source will definitely play a vital role in its evolution in the coming years.

The fate of existing open source technologies

Open source technologies have proved their worth in the form of stable and efficient infrastructure software as well. However, more cutting-edge closed software solutions have been coming out recently, offering considerably better services to customers. However, despite the odds, the open source community promises an immediate comeback in the sector. This could mean that enterprises will have far better options for infrastructure solutions next year that are well worth the investment.

The same can be said for Cloudera, another open source platform that’s gaining popularity along with Elastic. Though it’s still too early to say that these technologies will have a much bigger role in the coming years, they will nevertheless trigger the development of more efficient solutions – open source and otherwise. Other existing open source technologies like Drupal 8 is expected to evolve even further to give more flexibility to developers in future projects. This also applies to companies providing open source development services.

Collectively, everything seems to be indicating that there is no stopping the open source trend any time soon. It has grown larger this year, and shows no signs of stopping next year as well, unfolding lucrative prospects for enterprises and startups alike.

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This was the case till the advent of open source technologies. The world received free software, and many businesses flourished by providing open source development services. Open source applications’ source codes are available to the public so users can edit them to fit their needs.

There are many out there, but the list below will include the most widely used open source applications in the world.

1. General Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)

An image editor originally designed for Linux systems, GIMP can now be used in Windows and Mac systems. The application appears like a more feature-rich MS Paint, and is the average user’s alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Its main features include the raster editor, draw pad support, multiple file extension support etc. Because it’s open source, GIMP also has a library of plugins that will add more features to the already useful image editor.

2. Portable Apps

An open source software that can use portable versions of other applications, allowing users to take their favorite applications anywhere with a flash drive. Running those programs using Portable Apps will allow users to play movies, edit images, and even browse the web. However, you will need a flash drive dedicated to running Portable Apps in order to use the application.

3. Audacity

An audio editor application that allows users to do a lot of things to an audio track including: changing pitch, cropping, pasting, changing speed/tempo, digitize older media etc.

It can produce high quality audio, and can work with different audio file types. However, the app uses its own intermediate file type and requires you to import your media files to deliver a project file with all the edits.

4. Handbrake

A safe and reliable open source video converter, Handbrake converts video files from one format to another without compromising quality, unlike most of its counterparts. It supports most media file formats, and is one of the best converter tools to handle mobile video formats. The plugins for Android, iPad, and iPhone devices make it one of the best free video converters in the digital world.

5. VLC Player

VLC has got to be one of the most widely used, if not the best, free open source media players in the world. The application can play all media files including DVDs and CDs, and even stream them. Because it’s open source, VLC got many tweaks and upgrades over the years. At present, there is simply not a lot of media file formats that VLC can’t play. Many users have also made add-ons for VLC that add features like subtitle generator/finder, lyric finder etc.

If you are not tech savvy enough to modify an open source application of your preference to fit your needs, as an open source development company, we may be able to help.

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Especially when there are a plethora of tools available to manage the operating system. Open source technologies mark their presence here as well, contributing many tools to help make the OS management easier for admins. Here are a few tools worth taking note of.

Application Deployment Tools

Munki

An app that can be defined basically as an ecosystem, Munki is used to deploy imported applications to clients. Though its logic is generally run on the client software on each machine, it deploys app in a very refined manner. It runs as Managed Software Center.app.

The repository of metadata and apps can also be stored on any web server regardless of the platform. With Munki, it’s also possible to selectively deploy applications allowing users to either go for ‘optional install’ or ‘force install by date’ to install packages.

Other features include:

• Acting as a portal for internal apps
• Side panel links
• Customizable headers

It can do so much more, but it can’t all be covered in a single article.

Reposado

A great mimic of Apple Server’s Software Update Caching Service, Reposada is a set of Python tools ideal for caching software updates and deploying them internally, saving a lot of bandwidth in the process. The tool also allows users to release updates to a test group first before deploying them.

Client Management

Osquery

Operating system instrumentation framework or Osquery is Facebook’s contribution, and is capable of exposing the OS as a relational database according to GitHub. This essentially allows users to write SQL-based queries to explore the data in the OS. The SQL tables can represent open network connections, file hashes, loaded kernel modules etc.

Google Santa

Still in beta, Google’s Santa is an effective tool to whitelist/blacklist items on a macOS system. It keeps track of the binary executions in the OS, checks binaries against a defined database, and then determines whether to block or allow the binary.

The tool operates in two modes:

• Monitor mode – The default mode that allows all binaries to run except for the ones that were ‘marked’ to be blocked.
• Lockdown mode – The mode that allows the execution of only the whitelisted binaries.

Santa is a centrally managed tool, and as such can help prevent malware from spreading across a number of machines.

Conclusion

It really is a great time to be a Mac admin.

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Though workers and managers don’t mind deploying the technology wherever possible in IT environments, it’s still a hard sell with management, partly because that department is particularly resistant to change. Why would they want to fix something that isn’t broken? They don’t want to make changes by bringing in open source technologies, while everything’s already functioning properly.

Another reason could be the fact that open source software are indeed open – neither bought nor sold. Then there is a general perception that the “free” in free doesn’t necessarily mean “good”.

Ironically, open source software does indeed provide a lot of benefits to enterprises that use them properly. Here are a few reasons that explain how an enterprise benefits from using open source technology.

• Cost – Back in the days, vendors of proprietary software spent a lot of money to convince enterprises that proprietary software are more beneficial, easy to maintain, and less expensive to deploy. The relatively new (then) open source technology couldn’t compete with that.

Times have changed however. Now it doesn’t take a big effort to prove that open source is indeed everything it claims to be and more; a better option compared to expensive proprietary software.

Open source software is generally free, and the users need only pay for support. Open source vendors generally charge only a fraction of what proprietary vendors charge for product support. Present day open source software also comes with adaptive capabilities to overcome challenges that arise when new applications are deployed.

• Versatility – Not all proprietary software are versatile. Salespersons may say otherwise before getting an enterprise to sign the contract. Proprietary software are basically just off-the-shelf solutions designed to be effective only in a limited set of use-case scenarios. Yes, most vendors offer a 30 day free trial. But it might take longer than 30 days for an enterprise to realize that the software needs a specific feature to tackle a particularly redundant challenge. Contacting the vendor won’t help when it comes to proprietary software. They probably wouldn’t understand why the enterprise would want such a feature.

When it comes to open source software, the enterprise can take more time to completely evaluate it. Because the enterprise gets access to the source code of the software, they will also be able to figure out the areas where the software lacks a necessary feature that can meet the firm’s needs, and work it out the way they see fit.

• Scalability – Open source products for enterprises can scale to large proportions. The release of Kubernetes enhanced this feature allowing enterprises to scale up whenever the demand rises, and down when the demand drops. Though this feature mostly helps large enterprises, even small companies benefit from it. They won’t have to rely on other platforms for scaling, and can do so without hassle when they hit paydirt.

• Security – The security aspect of open source has always been a subject of debate. Because everyone gets access to the source code, people with malicious intent can locate and exploit the vulnerabilities in the code, which can spell disaster for enterprises. But the open source community begs to differ. They seem to believe that because a large number of developers and security experts get access to the source code, security vulnerabilities will be identified sooner.

Once a security vulnerability is identified, they will immediately start working on a patch. In practice, open source software are the most vulnerable in systems that aren’t properly configured or patched.

Conclusion

Proprietary software don’t get released like they used to nowadays, which is why experts think open source is the future. Although the trend is only picking up pace, there is still a question of quality. Open source software for enterprises aren’t a set of codes developed by kids for their college projects. Google started the Kubernetes project, and NASA had a role in the development of OpenStack. Big players have already started favoring open source, which makes this the right time for enterprises to adopt the technology and future-proof themselves.

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