The economy of free and open source software in the preservation of digital artefacts

Purpose: Free and open source software (FOSS) brings many benefits to digital preservation; however it is not “free.” If we examine the context in which free and open source software tools are created and employed, it becomes clear that • The sustainability of any software (FOSS, custom or commercial) we rely on to ensure the preservation of our digital heritage will depend on careful assessment of, and provision for, the costs (implicit and explicit) entailed in the production and continued employment of these tools. • The viability of these software tools depends on sustaining the context of these tools – in particular, in sustaining the community of knowledge and experience which makes it possible even to employ these tools. Approach: Portico explores the costs of FOSS based on its experiences as a working archive with an extremely long time horizon. Findings • There are considerable benefits to FOSS, including its openness and the broad-based testing of it in real-world situations. FOSS tools can provide considerable cost savings over proprietary tools. However, FOSS is neither free to use, nor to create, nor to maintain. • Digital preservation organizations must inventory not only the FOSS tools in our preservation arsenal, but the network of sustaining tools (FOSS and otherwise), documentation, and “tribal knowledge” that make these tools effectively usable. • We must assess the risks to sustainability of this network of resources, and determine what it will cost to keep them viable. • We will have to consider and implement strategies for providing the means to sustain these resources. • An engaged community of use is the best guarantor of the vitality of any FOSS tool. As that community wanes, it becomes even more essential to capture the significant properties and domain knowledge about that tool. • Creators of new software in the digital preservation space have a particular obligation to provide and maintain information about the significant properties of that software. Value: Portico brings its practical experiences integrating multiple FOSS tools to bear on an analysis of the costs to creating and maintaining these tools over the long-term.