Rabu, 16 September 2009

Open Source vs Closed Source Software: The Great Debate

1) Open Source Software

FOSS can be defined as software distributed under a licensing agreement that allows the source code (code) to be shared, viewed and modified by other users and organizations.

Cost

Free software is free. This is a huge draw card, and if your house capabilities are such that you are able to implement training and support at little cost to your organization, May it be an interesting option. However, open source software requires a certain level of technical expertise to content management. It is therefore important to take into account costs incurred once the software is obtained May be substantial, unless the resources are already in place to manage them. Long-term costs include the costs of implementation, innovation, the cost of the struggle with the service / support and costs associated with investment in infrastructure due to a general failure on the scale ( assuming that the organization develops and grows, and thus changing requirements). In particular, providers of open source software are increasingly charging for add-ons, services and integration. The total cost of ownership for open source software in May roughly equal-source options accordingly.

Service and Support

The service is one of the key issues concerning free software. Free software based on its network of online community to provide support via forums and blogs. Although there are massive, loyal and engaged online communities that users can turn to time today, consumers are familiar with poor service and support that enables immediate problems to solve timely, and these communities can not guarantee the high level of service and support of proprietary software can offer.

Innovation

Free software enables innovation by offering users the freedom and flexibility to adapt the software to adapt, without restriction. However, innovation in the May or May not be transmitted to all users. It is a prerogative of the user if he wishes to share their innovation with online communities, and users must actively participate in these communities to become aware of these innovations. It was examined whether any custom modifications to the source code of original and limited support for the future growth of software, because they can potentially lead to a limited ability to apply future updates, corrections or modules for improve the software, leaving users with a version in May intractable issues. It is interesting to note that suppliers of open source software in general difficult to attract large-scale R & D.

Usability

Free software has been widely criticized for its lack of usability, in general, technology is not considered by the experts and ease of use does not meet the vast majority of computer users. Free software is generally focused on developers, and system administration experience or knowledge to manage the programming language, use of software and the ability to correct errors that are often limited to those who have l 'technical expertise. In addition, FOSS does not legally require documents such as manuals and user guides, which hinders the creation of such tools. When documentation is provided, it is often important, which implicitly contains jargon, inhibiting learning. Without adequate documentation users must rely on other means such as online communities, assuming they can find and the problem is that others have encountered or are willing to help solve.

Security

Free software is often regarded as having safety problems. New data from Forrester Research showed that 58% of executives and technology decision makers in large companies are concerned about the security of open source software. Free software is not developed in a controlled environment. While big players are often focused development team, often, the software is developed by people in the world in May that does not work on the software for the development of his life. This lack of continuity and common sense can lead to barriers to effective communication surrounding the software. In addition, the software May not be peer reviewed or validated for use. While users are free to examine and verify the source code, the level of expertise required, it is quite possible for a programmer to integrate the Trojans back door to enter confidential and private information without ever inform the user. The adoption of a famous brand with a development team focused supported by a strong online community will reduce the potential risk.

2) Closed Source Software

Closed source software can be defined as a proprietary software distributed under a license agreement for authorized users to modify, copy, republication restrictions.

Cost

The cost of proprietary software can vary from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of the system. This cost is composed of a basic fee for the integration of software and services and annual licensin g / support costs. This May be cost prohibitive for some, but what the user pays for a custom product from a trusted brand that includes higher levels of security and functionality, innovation, greater capacity to the scale, ongoing training and support and a lower requirement of technical skills. In support of these elements and to maintain high availability of Web sites, a mechanism must be established to recover costs. As stated previously, more and more suppliers of open source software are also the prices of add-ons, additional services and integration, reducing the cost differential between the two options.

Service and Support

If the Internet is an important channel for an organization, the software is often a secondary concern, with the level of service and support structure needed to take precedent maximize uptime and minimize disruptions. The service is probably the greatest advantage of using proprietary software. Proprietary software provides ongoing support to users, a point of sale for users without technical expertise. If the user manual or guide is not enough, or if a user experiences a problem with the software, there is an immediate point of the call to turn to for help. There is some risk reduction with proprietary software, because users are working with companies that are viable, and people with an intimate knowledge of products and services are used when questions arise. Because the service is one of the main reasons for users to choose open source software in addition, many proprietary software providers compete on service, increase the power of buyers argaining b and d increase levels of customer service among providers.

Innovation

Suppliers of proprietary software do not allow users to view or modify the source code. While this May be considered a drawback for some, it provides security and reliability of software. In addition, many proprietary software vendors to customize the software for users to provide greater flexibility, while investing in R & D to regularly offer new products and updates. In addition, providers of proprietary software have communities of users online and to create value by sharing ideas, strategies and best practices through feedback mechanisms, such as forums and polls foster innovation and enable the product to adapt to changing needs. This innovation is fully tested and is available for all users. It does not require investment in R & D or engineering source code, and assistance in the implementation is usually part of the whole. Because suppliers must ensure that their software does not become redundant, users also benefit from targeting the type of innovation, investment in R & D rather than "innovation for the benefit of innovation" , the business rather than technology oriented.

Usability

Proprietary software typically employs expert usability testing, and software that is normally intended for a target audience and therefore more appropriate, ease of use is generally ranked high enough. In addition, manuals and guides are provided. This allows for training time and provides an immediate reference, allowing users to move along the learning curve faster. Support services include seminars, training courses and targeted support to help them maximize the use of software. It is also important to note that although many people as proprietary software "closed", today's proprietary software offers a wide range of mechanisms for the development by third parties and system developers.

Security

Proprietary software is more secure because it is developed in an environment controlled by a management team focused together. In addition, the source code in May be viewed and edited by this team, only, and is very controlled, eliminating the risk of back door Trojan horses and reduce the risk of bugs or problems with the software.
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