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One of the biggest developments in software during the past decade has been the growth of the open source software movement. On the face of it, even the existence of such a movement seems bizarre: Why should large numbers of programmers around the world volunteer to spend hour after hour writing code or catching bugs without the hope of monetary gain? And yet they do. Open source development has led to the creation of applications such as the Linux operating system and the Apache web server. Launched eight years ago at the initiative of Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, Linux-based operating systems have captured nearly 30% of the server market. Business - List of business/finance/loan/mortgage resources Computers - List of computer hardware/software/peripheral resources Internet - List of webhosting/webdesign/internet marketing resources Software - List of software resources Web Design - List of web design/development resources Web Hosting - List of web hosting resources Web Promotion - List of search engine optimization/internet marketing resources Web Resources - List of other web resources Recreation - List of travel/hotel/cruise resources Casino - List of online gambling/poker/blackjack/roulette resources Health - List of online pharmacy/hospital/health resources Shopping - List of online shopping/gift resources Miscellaneous - List of all other resources not stated above This success has spawned other initiatives that seek to unleash the creative energy of open source development. 3Com’s PalmPilot is a case in point. Though the PalmPilot is based on proprietary software, 3Com freely encourages the development of compatible games and utilities that can be downloaded and installed in the handset. Microsoft, Apple and Compaq have developed tools for their operating systems through the open source platform. In 1998 Netscape even released the operating system code for its Communicator 5.0 for public development.
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