August 28, 2012

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Open Source

By Cloud Syndicate

Advantages of Open Source Software

The benefits of open source is tremendous and has gained huge popularity in the field of IT in recent years. This is mainly because the advantages of open-source software is that it’s free to use – its greatest advantage. As it is developed by a non-profit community, it has some disadvantages as well.

Open-source software is free to use, distribute, and modify. It has lower costs, and in most cases this is only a fraction of the cost of their proprietary counterparts.

Open-source software is more secured as the code is accessible to everyone. Anyone can fix bugs as they are found, and users do not have to wait for the next release. The fact that is continuously analyzed by a large community produces secure and stable code.

Open Source Software

Open source is not dependent on the company or author that originally created it. Even if the company fails, the code continues to exist and be developed by its users. Also, it uses open standards accessible to everyone; thus, it does not have the problem of incompatible formats that exist in proprietary software.

Lastly, the companies using open-source software do not have to think about complex licensing models and do not need anti-piracy measures like product activation or serial number.

Disadvantages

open source server comic

(CloudTweaks comics)

The main disadvantage of open-source software is not being straightforward to use. Open-source operating systems like Linux cannot be learned in a day. They require effort and possibly training from your side before you are able to master them. You may need to hire a trained person to make things easier, but this will incur additional costs.

There is a shortage of applications that run both on open source and proprietary software; therefore, switching to an open-source platform involves a compatibility analysis of all the other software used that run on proprietary platforms. In addition, there are many ongoing parallel developments on open source software. This creates confusion on what functionalities are present in which versions.

Lastly, many of the latest hardware are incompatible to the open-source platform; so you have to rely on third-party drivers.

Advantages

The decision of adopting open-source software should not be taken just on the basis of the low-cost involved. It entails a detailed analysis and understanding of the requirements before switching to open source to get full benefits of it.

By Jack Rosenblum

Cloud Syndicate

Welcome to the 'Cloud Syndicate,' a curated community featuring short-term guest contributors, curated resources, and syndication partners covering diverse technology topics. Connect your technology article or news feed to our syndication network for broader visibility. Explore the intersections of cloud computing, Big Data, and AI through insightful articles and engaging podcasts. Stay ahead in the dynamic world of technology with our platform for thought leadership and industry news.

Join us as we delve into the latest trends and innovations.
Steve Prentice

Episode 21: Building a better backup – getting the whole organization to play better in the sandbox

Building a better backup – getting the whole organization to play better in the sandbox [...]
Read more
Sushil Kumar

Generative AI and Cloud Computing: The Greatest Infusion

Generative AI The fusion of cloud computing, app modernization, and artificial intelligence (AI) drives digital [...]
Read more

5 Azure Cost Management Strategies

What Is Azure Cost Management? Azure cost management refers to the practices and processes that [...]
Read more
Andy Hilliard

Accelerance CEO Unveils the Future: AI’s Role in Software Development

In this edition of CloudTweaks, we feature an insightful discussion with Andy Hilliard, CEO of [...]
Read more
Randy

AI Learning and Career Paths: Preparing for the Jobs of Tomorrow

AI Learning and Career Paths The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has long been at [...]
Read more
Derek Pilling

Is My Data Architecture Multi-Cloud or Multiple Cloud?

Multi-Cloud or Multiple Cloud? In the post, What is Multi-Cloud?, we defined multi-cloud in the [...]
Read more

SPONSOR PARTNER

Explore top-tier education with exclusive savings on online courses from MIT, Oxford, and Harvard through our e-learning sponsor. Elevate your career with world-class knowledge. Start now!
© 2024 CloudTweaks. All rights reserved.