Open Source Versus Closed Source Software - Essay Example

?Open Source Software Open-source software (OSS) is computer software which is available with not only the source but also the right of redistributing the source code along with all the modifications and the works derived. Moreover, the license of the open source software allows the users to learn, revise, modify, upgrade, and also to share out the software without any cost. The open source software’s license neither discriminates against a person / group nor any field’s endeavor. The license of the open source software must not be specific to any product and restrict other software, whereas, the license should be technology neutral (Open Source Initiative, n.d). Currently, there are a huge number of categories of the open source software that include but not limited to the Application Software, Operating Systems, Programming Languages and Server Software. Under each category there are many items / applications, for example, the application software include: Mozilla Firefox – a web browser, OpenOffice – an office suit, Eclipse – an integrated development environment, 7-zip – a file archiver or compressor etc. The operating systems include: the Linux, Android – a mobile OS, FreeBSD etc. The open source computer programming languages include: PHP – a scripting language used to develop websites, Perl, Ruby etc. The open source server software include: Apache – a web server, Joomla – a web content management system etc. Closed Source Software Closed source software also known as proprietary software is computer software which is only available without source code and licensed under limited legal right as per provided by the copyright owner. The buyer of the propriety software is permitted to use the software having restrictions on modifications, redistribution, update / upgrade or reverse engineering and it is typically owned by a single organization. The vendors usually provide an executable or compiled form of the software application’s source code so that only the central processing unit of the computer can understand the machine language that cannot be converted into the source code. The propriety software is not allowed to redistribute or sharing the software with others, in case anybody else wanted to use the proprietary software it is required to purchase another unique license of the software. In other words, the proprietary software is the property of the owner / developer / publisher that cannot be copied or modified, with an appropriate price and need to comply the license agreement (National Taiwan University, 1991). Like the open source software, the proprietary software has much more categories of the software include: Operating System, Computer Programming Languages, software applications, public domain software, private software etc. There are several examples including Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Programming languages – ASP.Net etc., Microsoft Office etc. Open vs. Closed Source Software – Advantages and Disadvantages For every advantage there exists disadvantage, therefore, both types of software have there exist advantages as well as disadvantages. Let’s talk about the advantages of both types, the advantages of the open source software include: free of cost, right to modify and redistribute the source code, the technology neutral or the open source software can be used with other software, freedom and flexibility of having multiple vendors, high security, quality, customizability, interoperability and audibility. "Open Source software tends to be free of dependency on related products. Purchasers often perceive that the product works best with other products from the same manufacturer. Open Source software offers its users greater freedom to purchase other products, avoiding lock-in to particular manufacturers." (QinetiQ, 2001) There are many disadvantages of the open source software as compared to the closed source software that include but not limited to the less availability of support, updates, less reliability as anyone can change / edit the code and redistribute, the cost of installation gets high usually, as most of the open source software are not compatible with Windows operating system. And it may require to change the operating system to run open source software, one of the main disadvantages of the open source software is to keep track of the latest version of the software, as many updates are being done simultaneously. On the other hand the advantages of closed source or proprietary software include: the stable software support, easy availability of updates, vendor professional services, easier to adopt in an organization, requires less IT support, high quality product functionality, the responsibility of the vendors to develop high quality software so that it can be sold easily, proprietary companies create much innovation, complete help and guidance available to use the software. Whereas, the disadvantages of the proprietary software include: the high cost of procuring as well as any improvements after deployment, customizing the proprietary software is more difficult and involves high costs, moreover, the users are not allowed to distribute (Lewis, 2012). Personal Usage Perspective Keeping in view usage of either proprietary or open source software, it is worthwhile to mention that the open source software is usually less usable or difficult to use as compared to the proprietary software. The main examples of the open source software are the Open Office and Linux, both are difficult to use as compared to the proprietary software including Microsoft Office and Windows are comparatively much easier to use. However, the usability factor cannot be generalized as there are many open source software including the Mozilla Firefox and 7-zip which have similar interface and using capabilities as compared to the proprietary software. It is recommended for the developers to use open source computer languages and databases that include: PHP for development of websites and MySQL (structured query language), Joomla etc. Educational Perspective From the past many years the Open Source Initiative (OSI) is working to aware the educational sector to use the open source software in universities. The OSI is engaging to present open source technologies, collaboration and community at workshops, seminars, projects and conferences in universities all around the world. However, the usage of open source technologies is less as compared to the proprietary software, but it would be enhanced with the passage of time. Moreover, by using the open source software in the universities, the students gets enough right to study, moreover, in order to experiment they can edit and update the open source software as well. Enterprise Perspective Currently the organizations are using much more open source software and it can be noticed when you open a web browser connecting to the internet, most of the websites have been developed in PHP, using database MySQL or PostgreSQL, moreover, using the open source web server Apache Web and most of these software is running the free Linux Operating System. Moreover, many open source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is available in the market that can be deployed in an organization by just paying a little amount as compared to the proprietary software. On the other hand, if the organization is mission critical or can afford the cost of the proprietary ERP, it is recommended to deploy proprietary ERP in an organization. Conclusion It has been derived that there are several pros and cons of each type of software; therefore, it cannot be generalized that either open or closed source software would be a better choice for every organization or educational institution or personal usage. However, I think that if applicable the preferences should be given to the open source software because of the number of above mentioned reasons and justifications. Moreover, I believe that once open source software has been acquired and matured (in terms of usage and functionality) in any company or institution, the company could take a life time benefits by just updating or upgrading the software. References Open Source Initiative. (n.d). The Open Source Definition. Retrieved from: http://opensource.org/docs/osd National Taiwan University. (1991). Proprietary Software. Retrieved from: http://neuron.csie.ntust.edu.tw//homework/94/ComputerIntro/Homework1/B9415002/propdef.htm QinetiQ. (2001). Benefits of using Open Source Software. Retrieved from: http://open-source.gbdirect.co.uk/migration/benefit.html Lewis, J. (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of a Proprietary System vs. Open Platform. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-three-disadvantages-proprietary-system-vs-open-platform-38010.html Read More