Wikipedia defines Open Source as
a set of principles and practices that promote access to the design and production of goods and knowledge. The term is most commonly applied to the source code of software that is available to the general public with relaxed or non-existent intellectual property restrictions. This allows users to create software content through incremental individual effort or through collaboration.Open Source concept as we know it, is the effort of a wide group of people, one of those, Richard Stallman, responsable for the creation of GPL, the licence that brought some fairness to Open Source Software.
Despite all the work done around FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) many aren't fully aware of the benefit of using Open Source.
But there are plenty!
- Free
- It cost's absolutely nothing! On the other hand commercial software can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. See thing this way, because it's free, cost-effeciency coundn't ever be negative!
- Changeable
- One can, with no problem at all modify the code in order to acomplish one's needs. This is maybe the feature that describes better open-source, you can have free software and still can't access the code source (freeware) but, if the code is public you have an open-source software. And the fact that anyone can modify the code and publish the modifications makes open-source software evolve pretty quickly.
- Easy
- Opposing to "more difficult to learn than commercial software". Software coded by individual users doesn't make it difficult to understand and work with. That's a myth! Like commercial software the learning curve both depends on the people who work the interface and the user background experience.
- Portable
- Most (NOT ALL) open-source sofware is written in languages that are compatible with multiple OS, like Java, Python, C and web-base applications. This mean that you are able to run the application in most computers, unlike propriety software that often just run on Windows or Mac.
- Online Communities
- Online communities grow around open-source software. This communities usually consist in developers, the ones responsible for the coding, and the users, that can ask questions, post suggestions, report bugs, etc... It's so simple getting the answers to solve a problem that Online Communities are the primary source of helpful information.
- Tech support
- You still have it!
But it's often paid :( This has to do with the commercial model around open-source software, companies profit in providing tech support. For those who have such a complicated issue that the online community can't provide an answer, or simply don't want to waste time in troubleshooting, payed tech support is definitively the answer. - Keeps Improving
- Because everyone has access to the source code, corrections are introduced quickly. Open Source Software is constantly being updated, with new functionalities added besides bug and error fixing.
- Simple
- When you acquire an open-source software who don't need to register the product nor there is the need of getting an individual license for each computer. The all process is very simple and clear; Install and use it!
- Reliable
- Due to high maintenance open-source software can be more reliable than proprietary one. This isn't true in every cases, but if you consider stability and duration (as in the time a software is able to preform the original task) open-source software beats propriety by far.
- Summing up: It's Better
- Open-source software can do all the things propriety does, and even do it better! And if it isn't enough, it's free...
Open Source can (and probability will) be the future, the more people use open-source software the closer we'll be of achieving this goal.
So, what are you waiting for?
