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JPL Welcomes Open Source Software Development Paradigm

The Open Source paradigm for developing and disseminating software continues to be a growing trend in industry and increasingly, in government. JPL is continuing to develop a clearly articulated and thoughtful policy and set of best practices relating to the Open Source paradigm.

Open Source Software Policy at JPL

The current JPL policy is to embrace the open source paradigm for developing and disseminating software in cases where it makes sense to do so. To date JPL endorses open source software releases that are vetted and approved by the Software Release Authority (SRA) using pre-approved licenses such as: Apache 2.0, Eclipse Public License (EPL) and BSD etc.

The benefits of open source policy include:

  • Facilitates exchange of ideas in a research setting, fostering exploration and experimentation
  • Facilitates productivity and efficiency in a collaborative development setting, based on ease of sharing status and progress
  • Facilitates ease of interaction and timeliness of support relative to traditional vendors
  • Positions the institution to recruit fresh-outs who are aware of Open Source as a useful, modern practice
  • Increases institutional productivity when consuming Open Source software for appropriate uses and applications

For more information on Open Sourcing your software, please contact Brian Morrison, JPL’s Software Release Authority (SRA) at (818) 354-2458.