Proprietary Operating Systems Research Articles

Social movements and institutional entrepreneurship as facilitators of technology transition: The case of free/open-source software

We integrate insights from the literature on social movements and institutional entrepreneurship into the strategic niche management (SNM) and multilevel perspective (MLP) frameworks to understand the emergence of Linux, a free/open-source operating system, in a regime dominated by proprietary operating systems such as Unix and Windows NT. Employing a “microhistories” methodology, we document how actors in the free/open-source movement took steps that enabled an alternate technological niche to form, gain momentum and eventually infiltrate the extant regime. Our account delineates the key role that actors play in shaping the identity of a niche, amplifying its presence, and finally mainstreaming it. We observe a heterogenous response by incumbents to the emergent niche and highlight the sustained coexistence of a niche and regime as a distinct form of technological transition. Finally, we demonstrate the significant impact that a niche can have, spanning beyond the targeted regime, and becoming part of the landscape. Our insights highlight how tracing the processes involved in the emergence and development of a niche can provide a prospective and generative understanding of technological transition, thereby contributing to and complementing the extant SNM and MLP literatures.

A Comparative Study on Webpage Browsing Performance between Proprietary and Open Source Operating Systems on Wireless Networks

This experimental research study determined and compared the webpage browsing performance of proprietary and open source operating systems on wireless networks. It was intended to reveal the significant differences in the webpage browsing performance between proprietary and open source operating systems on wireless networks when classified as to hardware specifications and type’s web content. The researchers used the JavaScript Console of the Google Chrome web browser application to determine the time of the webpage to fully load. Operating system was the independent variable. Hardware specifications which were classified as old system and new system and types of web content which was also classified as static and dynamic webpages were the intervening variables. Webpages browsing performance was the dependent variable. The statistical tools used were arithmetic mean, and t-test. It also revealed that there were significant differences in the webpage browsing performance between proprietary and open source operating system on wireless networks when classified as to hardware specification and web content. The proprietary and open source operating systems were statistically different when classified as to hardware specifications and type of web content.

Detection of Metasploit Attacks Using RAM Forensic on Proprietary Operating Systems

Information technology has become an essential thing in the digital era as it is today. With the support of computer networks, information technology is used as a medium for exchanging data and information. Much information is confidential. Therefore, security is also essential. Metasploit is one of the frameworks commonly used by penetration testers to audit or test the security of a computer system legally, but it does not rule out the possibility that Metasploit can also be used for crime. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out a digital forensic process to uncover these crimes. In this study, a simulation of attacks on Windows 10 will be carried out with Metasploit. Then the digital forensics process uses live forensics techniques on computer RAM, where the computer RAM contains information about the processes running on the computer. The live forensic technique is important because information on RAM will be lost if the computer is off. This research will use FTK Imager, Dumpit, and Magnet RAM Capture as the RAM acquisition tool and Volatility as the analysis tool. The results of the research have successfully shown that the live forensics technique in RAM is able to obtain digital evidence in the form of an attacker's IP, evidence of exploits/Trojans, processes running on RAM, operating system profiles used and the location of the exploits/Trojan when executed by the victim.

Privacy risk and adoption dilemma for smartphone users app usage intention: mediated moderation of smartphone operating system

Smartphone users perceive downloading and using apps as risky, yet they continue to do so. This study explores the relationship between privacy risk perceptions and continued use intentions, while also considering the effects of different operating systems to understand usage decisions. Data collected from 360 survey participants affirm that privacy risk perceptions negatively influence continued usage intentions, with mediating and moderating influences of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, as well as the operating system being used. Notably, the direct moderating effect of perceived usefulness is not significant for the link between privacy risk perceptions and continued usage intentions. The selection of an operating system likely determines some of the risk perceptions associated with downloading apps, such that greater security should reduce consumers' privacy risk perceptions and the effects on continuous usage. The implications for apps and operating systems developers are highly pertinent; this study indicates a clear need to balance the attractiveness of exclusive proprietary operating systems with consumers' desire for greater freedom.

Design and Implementation [Series Editorial

This issue presents two papers related to different aspects of application servers in communication networks. Traditional communication system hardware and software architectures were based on resource intensive implementations that separated the control and data planes, and were built using special-purpose ASICs and hardware platforms, and proprietary operating systems. The ongoing miniaturization of communication systems, driven particularly by the demands placed by the explosion of wireless mobile data, requires new paradigms to reduce cost, size, and power while increasing capacity and scalability.

New Research Directions In The Area Of Smart Phone Forensic Analysis

The proliferation of smart mobile phones with diverse features makes it possible to increase their use in criminal activities. The fast technological evolution and presence of different smart phones and their proprietary operating systems pose great difficulties for investigators and law enforcement officials to choose the best tool for forensics examination, accurate recovery and speedy analysis of data present on smart phones. This paper presents a literature review on smart phone forensic techniques for different platform. As a result of comprehensive analysis of these techniques, it has been found that there is no generic forensic technique or tool available which can perform the forensic analysis of all currently available different smart phones. Further, there is a need to develop a generic technique for forensic analysis of a variety of different smart phones. This generic technique should perform the forensic of currently available different smart phones on the crime scene without need to attach the smart phone with computer. Further, it will help the investigators to do their jobs easily and more efficiently. The proposed technique need to be implemented and tested on different smart phones to validate its performance and accuracy.

Forensic analysis of smart TV: A current issue and call to arms

A number of new entertainment systems have appeared on the market that have embedded computing capabilities. Smart Televisions have the ability to connect to networks, browse the web, purchase applications and play games. Early versions were based on proprietary operating systems; newer versions released from 2012 are based on existing operating systems such as Linux and Android. The question arises as to what sort of challenges and opportunities they present to the forensics examiner. Are these new platforms or simply new varieties of existing forms of devices? What data do they retain and how easy is it to access this data? This paper explores this as a future forensic need and asks if we are missing potential sources of forensic data and to what degree we are ready to process these systems as part of an investigation.

Improving Software Sustainability: Lessons Learned from <italic>Profiles in Science</italic>

The Profiles in Science® digital library features digitized surrogates of historical items selected from the archival collections of the U.S. National Library of Medicine as well as collaborating institutions. In addition, it contains a database of descriptive, technical and administrative metadata. It also contains various software components that allow creation of the metadata, management of the digital items, and access to the items and metadata through the Profiles in Science Web site [1]. The choices made building the digital library were designed to maximize the sustainability and long-term survival of all of the components of the digital library [2]. For example, selecting standard and open digital file formats rather than proprietary formats increases the sustainability of the digital files [3]. Correspondingly, using non-proprietary software may improve the sustainability of the software–either through in-house expertise or through the open source community.Limiting our digital library software exclusively to open source software or to software developed in-house has not been feasible. For example, we have used proprietary operating systems, scanning software, a search engine, and office productivity software. We did this when either lack of essential capabilities or the cost-benefit trade-off favored using proprietary software. We also did so knowing that in the future we would need to replace or upgrade some of our proprietary software, analogous to migrating from an obsolete digital file format to a new format as the technological landscape changes. Since our digital library's start in 1998, all of its software has been upgraded or replaced, but the digitized items have not yet required migration to other formats.Technological changes that compelled us to replace proprietary software included the cost of product licensing, product support, incompatibility with other software, prohibited use due to evolving security policies, and product abandonment. Sometimes these changes happen on short notice, so we continually monitor our library's software for signs of endangerment. We have attempted to replace proprietary software with suitable in-house or open source software. When the replacement involves a standalone piece of software with a nearly equivalent version, such as replacing a commercial HTTP server with an open source HTTP server, the replacement is straightforward. Recently we replaced software that functioned not only as our search engine but also as the backbone of the architecture of our Web site. In this paper, we describe the lessons learned and the pros and cons of replacing this software with open source software.

Internet content regulation, public drug websites and the growth in hidden Internet services

Governments have traditionally censored drug-related information, both in traditional media and, in recent years, in online media. We explore Internet content regulation from a drug-policy perspective by describing the likely impacts of censoring drug websites and the parallel growth in hidden Internet services. Australia proposes a compulsory Internet filtering regime that would block websites that ‘depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of… drug misuse or addiction’ and/or ‘promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime’. In this article, we present findings from a mixed-methods study of online drug discussion. Our research found that websites dealing with drugs, that would likely be blocked by the filter, in fact contributed positively to harm reduction. Such sites helped people access more comprehensive and relevant information than was available elsewhere. Blocking these websites would likely drive drug discussion underground at a time when corporate-controlled ‘walled gardens’ (e.g. Facebook) and proprietary operating systems on mobile devices may also limit open drug discussion. At the same time, hidden Internet services, such as Silk Road, have emerged that are not affected by Internet filtering. The inability for any government to regulate Tor websites and the crypto-currency Bitcoin poses a unique challenge to drug prohibition policies.

A Review of Users Adoption of Open Source Software in Africa

In the current world, software is increasingly becoming important in the human activity. It is widely recognised that Open Source software (OSS) is freely available to anyone who needs it. However, loyalty of computer users to proprietary operating systems and general office applications seems to be still high especially in developing countries. OSS has a great potential of saving costs for developing economies in Africa and reducing the cost of doing business and automating operations. The software would be very useful especially in the current period of economic hardships being faced by many developing countries. African governments have also not taken the lead in adopting the OSS software and many do not have policies in place regarding it. A review of literature on studies conducted in Africa on OSS in order to establish the level of user adoption, possible barriers to OSS adoption in developing countries in Africa is done in this paper. The findings are of great value to all stakeholders, namely the software developers, policy makers and computer experts in their endeavour to achieve high user adoption of OSS.

Safe and Secure? Healthcare in The Cyberworld

Safe and Secure? Healthcare in The Cyberworld

Survey of iPhone usage among anaesthetists in England

We have read with interest several recent letters to Anaesthesia concerning the clinical applications of smartphones [1, 2], and agree that the potential for future innovation using this technology is considerable. In February 2010, we conducted a national, online questionnaire survey of anaesthetists to quantify iPhone usage (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA), assess application (app) use and identify future areas for anaesthesia-specific app innovation. We received 918 responses, of whom 59% owned an iPhone (50% consultants, 41% trainees and 9% non-consultant career grades). Of the iPhone users, medical apps had been used by 80%, with 60% finding anaesthesia-specific apps useful for clinical practice and 47% for educational purposes. Medical calculators were the most frequently used category of app. Respondents also stated that (inexpensive) country-specific apps could be developed, particularly Royal College compliant logbooks, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists/Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland should consider developing apps. There remains difficulty in accessing apps due to existing hospital telecommunication policies. The number of respondents represents only 8% of anaesthetists working in England and those responding were likely to be a self-selecting group of technology-aware anaesthetists; however, anecdotally we feel that smartphone usage is widespread among anaesthetists, leading one respondent to comment that ‘surgeons find iPhones very useful, because they come with an anaesthetist attached’. Smartphone technology is changing the way that medicine is learnt and practised in the developed world, with users becoming increasingly more likely to access convenient, regularly updated, web-based literature than refer to hard copies of books or journals [3]. Anaesthetists use apps to access material difficult to use or unavailable in hard copy form, such as medical calculators, logbooks, resuscitation algorithms and demonstration videos. Compatible apps exist for other proprietary operating systems (Table 2). Possibly of the greatest interest to anaesthetists is the potential for innovative developments in patient care and monitoring, using what are effectively very powerful mobile computers. The potential for tele-consultation, together with remote monitoring, has been reported in anaesthetic practice [1]. Anaesthetists have also used smartphones to reduce anxiety during the inhalational induction of anaesthesia in children [2], and assess depth of sedation by using two-choice visual reaction time testing [4]. In future, apps similar to AirStrip (AirStrip Technologies, San Antonio, TX, USA) may facilitate basic monitoring and real-time parameter analysis, including in remote locations or during emergencies [5]. We would encourage future entrepreneurial app development by anaesthetists and professional bodies, with the aim of improving the patient experience, patient safety and medical education. KBD and JP own iPhones. SW has never owned a mobile phone. No external funding and no competing interests declared. The authors thank all respondents for their time in completing the survey and for their helpful additional comments.

A platform independent distributed IPC mechanism in support of programming heterogeneous distributed systems

Interprocess communication (IPC) is a well-known technique commonly used by programs running on homogeneous distributed systems. However, it cannot be used readily and efficiently by programs running on heterogeneous distributed systems. This is because it must be given a uniform interface either by a set of middleware or more efficiently properly ported to the kernel of all varieties of open source and closed source proprietary operating systems running on heterogeneous nodes of distributed systems. This is particularly problematic to achieve when the kernel code of closed source operating systems are inaccessible to third parties. We propose an alternative nonproprietary approach to enable the use of IPC in heterogeneous distributed systems by wrapping IPC calls from the kernel of closed source operating systems, and converting them into equivalent IPC calls that are efficiently implemented inside the kernel code of open source operating systems. To show the superiority of our approach, we developed a wrapper for converting MS-Windows IPC calls into equivalent Linux IPC calls and benched our approach on a hybrid computer cluster running both types of operating systems.

Development and implementation of real-time data acquisition systems for fusion devices with Open Source software

To improve the plasma position and shape control system in ASDEX Upgrade, it is constantly expanded by the integration of data acquisition systems of important and interesting diagnostics. Usually the main responsibility of data acquisition systems is to collect data and subsequently put it into a data base archive system from where it is later analysed. The obligation now is also to simultaneously process the acquired data with an appropriate algorithm and send the pre-processed data in real-time to the plasma control system during a discharge. To achieve this requirements the used hardware must provide enough processing power and the operating system has to meet some real-time constraints. To avoid the burden of using proprietary real-time operating systems the trend is to use Open Source variants mainly based on Linux. Some of these solutions also allow us doing real-time capable communication using standard Ethernet hardware. By way of an example the implementation process of a prototype of a real-time data acquisition system based on a multi-core processor and Xenomai is demonstrated. Other possible solutions like Realtime Linux and their differences to Xenomai which we propose as the most sophisticated real-time framework for Linux are discussed in this paper.

An open and portable software development kit for handheld devices with proprietary operating systems

The availability of modern handheld devices equipped with powerful CPUs, large main and secondary memory, Webcam and wireless connection suggests that those devices might also be used to develop sophisticated applications based on computationally intensive algorithms, including for example face recognition, object recognition, character recognition or speech recognition applications. A wide choice of software implementations exists for each of the categories listed above, but almost all of them are designed and developed for PC platform, and porting complex software from PC to the most common handheld platforms can be very time consuming and often inefficient. In this paper, we present Nanodesktop, a portable software development kit created to make easier and more efficient the development and the porting of complex software to handheld platforms, in particular those with proprietary operating systems such as the Sony Playstation Portable. Practical examples and real use cases are presented and evaluated. Nanodesktop is an open source software and can be freely downloaded for testing and evaluation.

Tools to Fight Boredom: FLOSS and GNU/Linux for Artists Working in the Field of Generative Music and Software Art

This article takes a look at the impact the operating system, programming languages and software, as a whole, have on the practice of artists working in the field of generative music and software art. Proprietary operating systems lack the openness needed to create an environment that fulfills the specific needs of artists and musicians who program and programmers who produce art and music. ‘Hackability’, the possibility to take things apart, modify, adjust, and improve, is an ever more important aspect that software artists and electronic musicians seek to include in their production environment. GNU/Linux and Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) possess this feature, and many more, providing artists with a truly creative and open environment, free of unnecessary technical limitations, predetermined interaction, lack of control over the work environment and dependence on software companies.

Free and Open Source Software for librarians and libraries

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is a national priority in South Africa, and is increasingly recognized as a means to achieve quality, lower costs, create agility and foster innovation. All of these are things libraries need to accomplish, so a survey of the FOSS tools available to support library functions or the role of librarians is provided. There are FOSS tools to support nearly everything that happens in a Library, from personal productivity to library information management. Many of them have versions that run on proprietary operating systems or are web based and so cross platform by nature, making them easy to experiment with even on proprietary operating systems. This paper provides a brief overview of some of the FOSS tools that are available to libraries. Innovation Vol. 36 2008: pp. 1-16

Performance Analysis of a Real-Time Control Network Test Bed in a Linux-Based System With Sporadic Message Arrivals

This paper describes the results from a real-time network test bed for a Linux-based control system with event-driven message traffic. Interest has grown in the use of Linux as a cost-effective alternative to expensive proprietary real-time operating systems. However, kernel tasks in Linux can cause random delays in message transmissions. Event-driven traffic can result in unpredictable message inter-arrival rates. Nondeterministic delays in message transmissions and sporadic message arrival times complicate the design of the network as they require the use of an estimation technique to analyze feasibility. Random temporal behavior can lead to network overloads, where it becomes unavoidable that some messages will be late. We discuss the design and feasibility analysis for the network and evaluate the network's performance in the presence of random kernel delay and sporadic message arrivals. Three message scheduling approaches are evaluated using different Linux configurations at different levels of network loading

General-purpose processors for active vibro-acoustic control: Discussion and experiences

This paper gives an appropriate perspective about why, how, and when low-cost general-purpose computers can be used, with performance similar to dedicated processors, for the implementation of advanced multi-input–multi-output feedback/feedforward active noise and vibration controllers. High performance and real-time capabilities requirements of active vibro-acoustic control systems are critically discussed with respect to the architectural features of general-purpose processors and the actual closed-loop bandwidth of interest. Discussion on proprietary and free real-time operating systems running on general-purpose hardware is included and a free open-source solution is described. An aeronautical application is presented to support paper position and demonstrate feasibility of the approach hereafter proposed.

Essence of distributed work: The case of the Linux kernel (originally published in Volume 5, Number 11, November 2000)

This paper provides a historical account of how the Linux operating system kernel was developed from three different perspectives. Each focuses on different critical factors in its success at the individual, group, and community levels. The technical and management decisions of Linus Torvalds the individual were critical in laying the groundwork for a collaborative software development project that has lasted almost a decade. The contributions of volunteer programmers distributed worldwide enabled the development of an operating system on the par with proprietary operating systems. The Linux electronic community was the organizing structure that coordinated the efforts of the individual programmers. The paper concludes by summarizing the factors important in the successful distributed development of the Linux kernel, and the implications for organizationally managed distributed work arrangements.