Use of open source software for SOFIA's airborne data system

The SOFIA data system must meet numerous technical and organizational objectives, including widely available distribution to support integration and testing at users' institutions. As with all professional data system software development, a wide range of sophisticated development tools are required. With open source software now widely available, it is possible to build an advanced Unix-based development environment taking full advantage of freely available tools. This paper analyzes advantages and disadvantages of this approach, the selection processes used, and the list of tools selected to date for the SOFIA development effort.