Open Source software can be considered to be the strongest potential rival to its the ever dominating power of Microsoft. This ever changing and developing form of technology, developed under the control of user, has enabled the control of a force to be reckoned with.
"Open source software emerged to a significant extent in response to the shortcomings in commercial software development, addressing fields of innovation and forms of software which for various reasons had not been covered sufficiently by the industrial process" (Bruns, 2008).
Open Source software has exploded into today’s technological realm. Companies using Open Source software have an obvious advantage over proprietary users.
Open Source software is developed under the control of users, whereas primary software places the users in a position to be controlled by the creators. These freedoms found in Open Source software enable the user to gain control and create communities where people are interactive.
“Open Source software means software that gives you four essential freedoms:
Freedom 0: the freedom to run the program as you wish.
Freedom 1: the freedom to study the source code, and change it to make the program do what you wish.
Freedom 2: the freedom to redistribute copies of the program when you wish.
Freedom 3: the freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions when you wish” (Free Software Magazine, 2008).
The obvious benefits of Open Source including costs, speed, ownership of features and functionalities far exceed those of proprietary software,
"Open source has numerous benefits, including breaking the relentless hold of technology lock-in, and cost savings in acquisition and life-time support costs" (Agosta, Forrester Research qtd in. Walker, 2004).
Despite all the challenges that Open Software faces, I predict that this new form of technology with its advanced methods will clearly conquer over proprietary software.
“Already, research laboratories have adopted the Open Source model because the sharing of the information is essential to the scientific method, and Open Source allows software to be shared easily” (Perens, 2008).
Another positive that comes along with the use of Open Source software is that businesses are slowly finding this form of technology gives them the ease of solving problems, without the threats of anti-trust lawsuits.
Open Source software proves to be a promising and history changing technology for the computing industry. Millions of users have solved many different problem through the use of this advanced software and there is obviously no stopping it.
References
Bruns, A. (2008). Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage. Peter Lang. New York https://cmd.qut.edu.au/cmd//KCB201/KCB201_BK_163501.pdf (accessed 4 May, 2008).
Free Software Foundation. (2008). http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software (accessed 4 May, 2008).
Perens, B. (2008). The Open Source Definition. Open Source Initiative. http://perens.com/OSD.html (accessed 4 May, 2008).
Walker, T. (2004). The Future of Open Source in Government. gOSapps LLC http://www.oss-institute.org/newspdf/walker_oss_white_paper_2292004.pdf (accessed 8 May, 2008)
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I agree that open source is definitely a phenomenon. It seems amazing that such readily available, free programs can be as good or even better than commercial software. Why spend hundreds of dollars on programs when they are already right there at our fingertips? The fact that users can adapt it to their own needs and that of the wider community is certainly a sign of the times.
No longer do users have to simply sit back and wait for software companies to devise an produce a program that may not even do what they want it to. In a fraction of the time a community can produce an even better program absolutely free.
I myself am slightly hesitant towards using open source programs simply that they are unfamiliar and I fear that they may not be as easy to use. It is a big step to switch from closed source to open source programs but with further developments, this shift will get easier in time.
There is definitely a lot more quality control due to more people monitoring and testing programs. More ideas together in a collective intelligence can only be a good thing. Open source is the way of the future and it will only get stronger in time.
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