Open source software is described as follows -
“Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available and licensed with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study change and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.”[1]
How is it different form other types of Software?
Open source software differs from other types of software in the way that the “Source code” or the code for that software is available for the user to edit. The user may add, delete or otherwise edit the code to suit his needs.
Open Source Software Pros –
1. Few if any license fees – Contrary to popular belief Open Source != Free . The developer might choose to charge a fee. That said most open source software is free to use.
2. Easy to manage – Open source software is easy to manage. This is because the code is available to every user. If the user thinks there is an issue he can himself work on it to get it fixed. This is the real power of Open source software. When the software is widely used if any issues crop up then it can be fixed by anyone. Maintenance is not limited to the code author.
3. Customizable – Since the source code is openly available the user can easily modify the software to suit his needs.
4. Encourages creativity thereby increasing the spectrum of usage of the software – Many a times software cannot be used due to changes needed in the Software. However with tweaks the software can be used in Domains that it was not designed to be used in the first place.
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| Adoption of Open Source Software |
1. Open source software does not (in most cases) come with support. If one runs into some issues then there is no guarantee that the developer will be at hand to solve it.
2. Open Source is often Orphaned – After a period of time the main developers might decide to walk away leaving the code incomplete /orphaned. This can be due to issues between developers or because the developer got bored and decided to stop working on the project.
Gray Area –
Security: Since it is open source and especially if the software is free the software might not be 100% secure. However if there are any flaws which have been made public then a wide number of developers, either individually or in unison can work towards quickly solving the issue.
My Opinion –
Open source software has its own Pros and cons however Open source software is slightly more preferable due to the mentioned Pros. This is also evident from the statistics in the diagram.
References -
[1] - St. Laurent, Andrew M. (2008). Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing, O'Reilly Media, p. 4. ISBN 9780596553951.
[2] - http://www.leadcommerce.com/blog/the-pros-cons-of-open-source-ecommerce-software.html
[3] - http://www.cioinsight.com/it-strategy/linux-open-source/slideshows/five-pros-and-five-cons-of-open-source-software/
Very informative post about open source software! I like how you covered all the bases rather than siding with one, and even covering gray area. The image that you attached is also very helpful for those of us that are visual learners. I've never factored in the fact that developers could completely abandon updates and works for the open source software code which could be extremely detrimental to businesses.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best blog I've read about open source software in our section. You did a good job of dispelling a lot of misconceptions that people have about open source software and gave a well thought out, sincere opinion about it. I especially like what you said about the cons of open source. Your cons are actually reasonable, compared to other people who believe misinformation that they hear from dubious sources. Thanks for the enjoyable read!
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