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# How Has Cloud Computing Rocked The World Of Open Source?
- URL: https://comtechies.com/how-has-cloud-computing-rocked-the-world-of-open-source/
- Published: 2014-12-31T07:05:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-12-31T07:05:00.000Z
- Author: Michael Hayes
- Tags: Cloud Computing, #Migrated-1755084814468, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-08-13 11:34

*Open source development is doubtless one of the fields most affected by cloud computing. But are the changes brought about by the cloud really for the better?*  

## The Open-Source Cloud

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’d argue against the notion that cloud computing has had a significant impact on open-source development. After all, it’s changed pretty much everything about how we do business. The ability to rapidly deploy infrastructure - and to access that infrastructure from virtually anywhere in the world - has proven invaluable to most every field.   
  
Open-source is no exception. According to Diana Cooper of [The Linux Journal](http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/effects-cloud-computing-open-source-compliance?ref=comtechies.com), the majority of software development and deployment now takes place in the cloud. As a result of this, it’s easier than ever for both businesses and independent programmers to develop their own solutions - many of which make use of open-source code. What’s more, thanks to the cloud’s capacity to run software independently of host architecture (virtualization is the backbone of the technology, after all), compatibility is more or less a non-issue.  
  
This means that developers - open-source and corporate alike - can focus more on design and testing than deployment. This newfound ease doesn’t come without a price, however. Because of how much cloud deployment differs from the traditional model, it’s wreaked a fair bit of havoc on software licensing and registration.   

## Licensing Trouble

“Because software is provided as a service in the cloud, licensing obligations linked to the act of distribution no longer apply,” writes Cooper. “This has led to the development of newer cloud-driven restrictive open-source licenses.“  
  
Without getting too much into the regulatory side of things - we could write an entire piece on that alone - the cloud effectively introduced a loophole into both permissive and restrictive open-source licenses, allowing organizations to make use of open-source software without providing the code. This has, in turn, led many open-source development firms to introduce new remote network clauses to their usage and distribution licenses.  

## Cloud Computing And Open-Source Development

Ease of development and deployment aren’t the only reasons the cloud and open-source software get along so well. Many enterprises have shifted towards open-source development for the same reasons as they moved to cloud computing: namely, that it both encourages greater collaboration and significantly reduces cost of ownership. The release of a number of open-source cloud solutions (such as OpenStack) has only furthered this trend.  

## In Closing

There’s a lot to love about the cloud no matter where you stand - but that statement rings especially true from an open-source perspective. Significantly easier development and deployment, better licensing, and reduced cost of ownership combined with increased collaboration make cloud computing a winning proposition indeed.  
  
> About William :- Will Hayles is a technical writer and blogger for [Outscale](http://www.outscale.us/?ref=comtechies.com), a leading cloud hosting provider in the USA and France.