Advantages of Open Source Software - Assignment Example

The author's source code integrity must be maintained, there should be no discrimination against any kind of anyone using the software, the software must be distributed with a distribution license, the license must not be tied to a specific product, and finally, the license must be technology – neutral. Some of the available open source software includes Apache HTTP server, GNOME desktop Environment, GIMP image Editor, Firefox web browser, Android smartphone operating system, MYSQL and database, and PHP among others.

Advantages of open source software

The comparison of open source software and propriety software brings out several advantages of open source software.  Some of these advantages are as listed below;

Reliability

Most open source software is reliable. The reliability of open source software is because all open source software is peer-reviewed. This has made open source software to be more reliable and robust even in the most stringent conditions.

Secure

The use of most open source software is safe. Once the initial source code of a particular software has been, the community of open source developers takes up the project to review and correct any available bugs. This removes all security holes thus making the software more secure. Also, in cases where a security vulnerability has been identified, it’s quickly fixed by the open-source community.

Low cost.

Most of the open source software is released free of charge. The only costs that may be incurred include the customization costs and maybe the downloading costs. This makes the acquisition and the use of open source cheaper as compared to closed source software.

Interoperability

The developers of open source software aim to make the software adhere to open standards. Thus, the software is able to interact with other software easily.

Auditability,

The availability of open source software makes it easy for one to evaluate the software. For instance, it can be assessed to determine if it has the expected requirement. For instance, just by evaluating the source code, one is able to determine if the software is secure or it has security holes.

Flexibility

Most open source software is designed to be less resource intensive. Thus it can be used to carry out the purpose even on older systems.

Disadvantages of open source software

Open source software is being faced with an overall disadvantage. Most of the open source software is not straightforward to use. This is attributed to the fact that the developers of the system give less attention to the development of the user interface.

The availability of the source code to open source software can be utilized by some individuals for malicious purposes.

Nowadays, most companies are porting to open source software with the intent of reducing costs, easing innovations, and saving time. One of the large companies using open source software is Facebook Inc. Most of the company’s applications are open source. The op[en source software includes PHP, Apache HTTP server, and MySQL database, among others