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What is open source software?
Does open source software have a place in business? What are the pros and cons of using open source software in business?
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4 Answers
Courtney,
Open Source software (OSS) is software which is collaboratively developed and where the source code is made available with licenses that encourage cooperation by a wide range of interested parties.
Lately, there has been a trend where vendors of Open Source software provide a free (cost) version of the software as a community release, with basic or even moderate features, but only community support, and then provide robust support options for corporate/enterprise use. This addresses both economic viability and provides enterprises with the type of support that makes them more comfortable.
OSS can be used in businesses in a variety of capacities, so long as those businesses understand what the implications are. There are plenty of OSS products that are widely in use, such as BIND, Apache, Linux, BSD, etc.
Different licenses will appeal to different people and different situations.
The biggest issue is probably the support. As long as the product you want/need has support that works for you and your organization, then you're good. Especially if you can better manage costs, and obtain necessary features by using it.
-ASB: http://xeesm.com/AndrewBaker
"The foundation of the business case for open-source is high reliability. Open-source software is peer-reviewed software; it is more reliable than closed, proprietary software. Mature open-source code is as bulletproof as software ever gets."
http://www.opensource.org/advocacy/case_for_business.php
In short, Open Source software is a piece of software that is developed by a community of developers (programmers), usually to build a better version of existing software. If you download the products from a reputable site, they are generally very good. Where's the catch? First off, most of these offerings are free, but you have to all the support work in set up, figuring out how to use it's features etc. In addition, there is no one to call if you have a problem. Some Open source projects have become commercial products, but to get support or additional features, you will need to pay for it. Open source is a great way to get solid products and perform proof of concepts with no cost. But it's not for everyone. I recommend looking at http://sourceforge.net and poking around to get your feet wet. In the "search" box, type in anything that interests you, photo editing, video editing, web servers etc. This will definitely open up your mind and will expand your toolset at no cost to you or your company.
Enjoy.
George
In its simplest form, it is like getting an apple pie and it's recipe at the same time. You are also allowed to make changes to the recipe and YOUR pie better (or worse).
I define OSS as a piece of software without licensing. For someone who acquired OSS, he/she gets both the functionality of the software and its code.
Many see OSS as”free" software. Most important feature of OSS is the ability to customize and improve the software.
The main disadvantage of Open Source software is, supporting it. It is often challenging to find support for OSS products, as they are generally not branded. So it is very likely that most companies end up paying more for the support than for licensing, if they bought a vendor product.
In other terms, where do you go if you burn the apple pie?
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