Open architecture: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:19, 10 June 2018

Revision as of 21:47, 22 July 2018

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{{distinguish|Open-source architecture}}{{distinguish|Open platform}}

'''Open architecture''' is a type of [[computer architecture]] or [[software architecture]] that is designedintended to make adding, upgrading, and swapping components easy.<ref name="II2011">{{cite book|author=Clifton A. Ericson, II|title=Concise Encyclopedia of System Safety: Definition of Terms and Concepts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uousK00QAREC&pg=PA272|date=12 April 2011 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=978-1-118-02865-0|page=272}}</ref> For example, the [[IBM PC]],<ref>[https://books.google.en/books?id=QGlRDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT115&dq=ibm%20open%20architecture%20PC%20inventor&hl=en&pg=PT115#v=onepage&q&f=false Inventions That Built the Information Technology Revolution] by Rhys McCarney ''"IBM CEO John Opel decided to use an open architecture"''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://forwardthinking.pcmag.com/pc-hardware/286065-why-the-ibm-pc-had-an-open-architecture |title=Why the IBM PC Had an Open Architecture |author=Michael J. Miller |date=August 8, 2011|work=[[pcmag.com]] |quote=''"In some ways, the most far-reaching decision made by the team that built the IBM PC was to use an open architecture, rather than one that was proprietary to IBM. That decision led to the market for add-in boards, for large numbers of third party applications, and eventually to a large number of competitors all creating "IBM-compatible" machines. [[William C. Lowe|Bill Lowe]] went to IBM's Corporate Management Committee in July 1980 to propose the project"''}}</ref> [[Amiga 500]]<ref>[https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/history-of-computers,4518-31.html Computer History: From The Antikythera Mechanism To The Modern Era] on [[tomshardware.com]] by Aris Mpitziopoulos "''Amiga was one of the first computers with an open architecture. It had two expansion slots, one on the side and one on the bottom.''" (July 3, 2016)</ref> and [[Apple IIe]] have an open architecture supporting plug-in cards, whereas the [[Apple IIc]] computer has a '''closed architecture'''. Open architecture systems may use a standardized [[system bus]] such as [[S-100 bus|S-100]], [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]] or [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] or they may incorporate a proprietary bus standard such as that used on the [[Apple II]], with up to a dozen slots that allow multiple hardware manufacturers to produce add-ons, and for the user to freely install them. By contrast, closed architectures, if they are expandable at all, have one or two "expansion ports" using a proprietary connector design that may require a license fee from the manufacturer, or enhancements may only be installable by technicians with specialized tools or training.

[[Computer platform]]s may include systems with both open and closed architectures. The [[Mac mini]] and [[Compact Macintosh]] are closed; the [[Macintosh II]] and [[Power Macintosh G5]] are open. Most [[desktop PC]]s are open architecture, but [[nettop]]s are typically closed.

Similarly, an open software architecture is one in which additional software modules can be added to the basic framework provided by the architecture. Open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to major software products are the way in which the basic functionality of such products can be modified or extended. The [[Google APIs]] are examples. A second type of open software architecture consists of the messages that can flow between computer systems. TheThese standardmessages architectedhave structuresa ofstandard thesestructure messagesthat can be modified or extended per agreements between the computer systems. An example is IBM's [[Distributed Data Management Architecture]].

Open architecture allows potential users to see inside all or parts of the architecture without any proprietary constraints.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zk2qCAAAQBAJ&pg=PP6&lpg=PP6 |title=TRON Project 1987 Open-Architecture Computer Systems: Proceedings of the Third TRON Project Symposium}}</ref> Typically, an open architecture publishes all or parts of its architecture that the developer or integrator wants to share. The [[open business]] processes involved with an open architecture may require some license agreements between entities sharing the architecture information. Open architectures have been successfully implemented in many diverse fields, including the [[US Navy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/spring08/HowAndWhy.html|title=The HOW and WHY of OPEN ARCHITECTURE|work=[[navy.mil]]}}</ref>