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What is Opensource Software

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I have seen a lot of confusion in people regarding opensource software. For example :

Does it mean a completely free software? Can I get complete source code of the software? Can I update the code as per my need ? Can I distribute/sell updated software for commercial purposes? Are there any other legalities involved in using such software?
etc etc..
 
So, let’s get started and try to find out answers to all of above questions plus some interesting stuff
 

What is open source software?

Open-source software (OSS) is a type of computer software in which the source code is released under a licence in which anyone can use, study, modify and distribute the software to any person and for any purpose.

Difference between open source software and closed source software (proprietary software)

As opposed to open source software, closed source or proprietary software can not be modified, shared by anyone. They are generally licensed to either an individual or an organization who bought the software. Depending on the type of licenses provided to the buying party they can use it as is or update it as per the requirement.

Here are the main differences between open source software and closed source software

  1. Budget (Cost)

One of the main advantages of open source software is the cost. If you have the technical abilities to maintain the software, train and provide support to staff, then choosing open source software for your organization would be beneficial. As you will be getting an initial suite of product without any cost it definitely saves a few hundred dollars if not thousands.

You might need to spend money for the support or some additional features which are not present on open source product but that is based on your requirement.

A 2008 Standish Group report stated that the adoption of open-source software models has resulted in consumer savings of approximately $60 billion per year.

For a Closed Source software, depending on the complex difficulty of the system, the cost can change/differ between a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars, which includes a base fee for software, and services and once-a-year licensing/support fees. While the hard cost can be higher, what you get in return is a more customized product from a trusted brand, higher levels of security and ability to do things.

  1. Immediate go to market

This is the great advantage of using open source software compared to closed source software. As you get pre pre-built ready product you just need to have to customize it as per your requirements. And you don’t need to focus on many small things of the product. But yes there is a learning curve attached to it and your feature development largely depends on it.

This is because software is developed by the community. It might be difficult to understand the code initially and it might take a considerable amount of time to understand the code written by someone else.

  1. Service

Everything works well with open source software until you face any issue and you don’t know how to solve it or go further. It mainly depends on how well documentation, user guides are available.

Sometimes those are also not enough and need someone expert from the Software development team or someone who has better experience on that software. This term is called “support” in the software realm which is the positive side of proprietary software.

With this support one can easily reach out to them and they will have to address and fix such issues on predefined time based on Service Level Agreement (SLA)

  1. UI/UX

I think UI/UX is the biggest downside of open source software. This is mainly due to such softwares being developed in a generic way for a particular domain and it’s expected that to be modified as per the need. Also its being developed by the community, the UI/UX standards were not followed as its followed in large companies.

  1. Security

Security could be an issue with open source software if it’s not handled. Because the way such software is developed it could easily miss out on some of the security vulnerabilities.

Those who create and contribute free software are under no obligation to maintain it.  Indeed, most such software usually comes with some kind of “AS IS” disclaimer:

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE

The reverse side of that disclaimer is if the developer isn’t responsible for the code, then it is clearly the responsibility of the consumer to make sure the code is safe and “fit for purpose”.

On the other hand proprietary software most of the time can be secured. As different security tests are incorporated while developing such software and it has to pass all such checks to be released to Production OR used by clients.

  1. Innovation

Open source software could be useful in terms of innovation. The source code of such software is freely available and it can be updated to perform PoCs for innovation.

Proprietary software source code is generally not shared with consumers. It has to be used as is and cannot be modified.

Difference between free software and open source software ?

These are two terms that in practise get confused with each other and even get used as equivalents. All software that is free is open source, but not all software that is open source is free.

Open source is considered to have rules that are more flexible than free software, as it allows businesses and developers to impose certain restrictions and licences to protect the integrity of the code.

Difference between community edition and Enterprise edition software

Many times we see that different software vendors provide community editions. Generally lay users get confused about these different editions of software. So, I will try to explain it.

The community edition software are distributed via an approved Open Source Initiative (OSI) license

An important distinctive characteristic of community source as opposed to plain open source is that the community includes some organizations or institutions that are committing their resources to the community, in the form of human resources. In this way, the open source project will have both more solid support

Mostly such versions of software do not contain all of the features of software and those are free to use. Enterprise edition software is a paid version which contains rich and extra features than the community edition.

Also they get technical support to troubleshoot issues as opposed to community edition where users have to depend on community blogs only.

Open source software licenses

An open-source license is a type of license that allows the source code or design to be used, modified and/or shared under defined terms and conditions. This allows end users and commercial companies to review and modify the source code or design for their own customization. Open-source licensed software is mostly available free of charge, though this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Open-source licenses may have some restrictions such as

  • Requirement to preserve the name of the authors and a copyright statement within the code
  • Requirement to redistribute the licensed software only under the same license

Examples of open source software licenses are

  • Apache License
  • BSD license
  • GNU General Public License
  • GNU Lesser General Public License
  • MIT License
  • Eclipse Public License
  • Mozilla Public License

Pros and cons of using open source software

Strengths of open source software

  • The open-source community promotes the creation of software that is not proprietary, this results in lower costs.
  • The development of open-source software happens within the community. This differs from proprietary software, the development of which is often motivated through potential monetary gains.
  • Open source provides flexibility not available in closed products.
  • Open-source licenses and software can be combined with proprietary software.
  • The open-source movement has allowed smaller businesses to participate in the global economy.
  • The open-source mission statement promises better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to vendor lock-in.

Drawbacks of open source software

  • The structure of the open-source community requires that individuals have programming expertise in order to engage in open-code modification and exchange.
  • Programmers and developers make up a large percentage of the open-source community and sought-out technical support and/or documentation may not be useful or clear to open-source software lay-users.
  • The structure of the open-source community is one that involves contributions of multiple developers and programmers; software produced in this fashion may lack standardization and compatibility with various computer applications and capabilities.
  • Programmers that create open-source software often can turn their attention elsewhere very quickly. This opens the door for many bug-filled programs and applications out there. Because no one is paid to create it.
  • In the open-source industry, the user decides the quality of the software which might affect the quality
  • The amount of support for an open-source project varies highly.
  • There is no guarantee of updates.

Open source software examples

  • Operating Systems
    • Linux operating system
    • Android
  • Office Software
    • Open Office
    • LibreOffice
  • CRM
    • WordPress
    • Joomla
  • e-Commerce
    • Woo-commerce
    • Magento
  • ERP
    • Apache OfBiz
    • Dolibarr
    • ERPNext
  • Project Management
    • OrangeScrum
  • Learning Management System (LMS)
  • Web Analytics Tool
    • Piwik (Matomo)
    • Open Web Analytics
    • eAnalytics
  • Collaboration Tools
    • Mattermost
    • Zulip
    • Rocket.chat
    • Riot.im
  • CAD Tools
    • Salome
    • BRL-CAD
    • FreeCAD
    • LibreCAD
  • Log Aggregation Tools
    • ELK
    • GrayLog
    • Fluetd
  • Database
    • MySql
    • PostGreSQL
  • Programming Languages
    • Java (OpenJDK)
    • Python
    • JavaScript

Proprietary/closed source software examples

  • Windows Operating System
  • Microsoft Office
  • Skype
  • Zoom
  • Adobe Flash

Top Organizations using open source software

Twitter

  • Linux
  • MySql
  • Apache Joomla

Sony

  • WordPress

Ebay

  • Joomla

Barclays

  • Linux

GE

  • Cloud Foundry

Industry wide open source software adoption rate

Conclusion

So in this article we have seen what is open source software and compared it with proprietary or closed source software. Each of the types has its own philosophy, methodology, advantages, and disadvantages. There is no univocal option as it depends on business needs. I hope this article will come in handy for you to make the right choice for your business.

But I am being an enthusiast in opensource softwares, I would recommend using it for small and medium sized business if not large business. Because the investment will be very low compared to using enterprise softwares.

If you would like to consult on choosing opensource software and customize it based on your business needs feel free to get in touch with us!

References

Wikipedia, opensource.com

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