The Advantages of Open Source Software
As amazing as it appears, there are hundreds of businesses and foundations around the world that actively develop and distribute software for no cost. The reason for them opening up their software is varied, but the advantages to the users is immense.
A long time back in the 70’s, computer hobbyists and nerds would programme software and give it to other hobbyists for free to try and make it better. Along came a man called Bill Gates who saw a business opportunity in developing software for computers and built Altair BASIC. Unfortunately for him, his software was also distributed around and he ended up writing a pointed letter detailing why software should not be free (Google Bill Gates Open Letter).
In recent years, the open source collective has been gaining a large slice in the software market, probably caused by developing nations who can’t afford the licensing fees of commercial software like Windows, Excel, Dreamweaver and even Programming Languages.
There are open source versions of virtually everything, from blogging platforms to images. The open source concept has even hit the food and drink market with open source recipes for wine and beer now free on the Web. I am actually writing this brief article on a piece of open source software called Open Office, a free alternative to MS Word, and it’s powered by Ubuntu, an open source alternative to Windows or Mac OS X.
When it comes to websites, there is a wide range of open source software around to power any kind of site. Web development companies such as Wordpress and Wikimedia Foundation release solutions free for anyone to use. What makes it incredibly enticing is that open source customization can be undertaken by a huge number of companies around the world.
Choosing open source software for your website provides a awesome base from which to commence, take for example Wordpress is fantastic for virtually any kind of website, but with a bit of Wordpress customization you can have it meet your exact specifications for a small percentage of the cost of creating it from fom the start.
Before you buy your next script, always look to discover if there is an open source option on the market. Especially relevant during these hard times, open source software could be one way you or your organization can reduce its costs.