Why open source ?
Open source software is software for which the source code (the individual building blocks of the software) are available under a software license allowing users to view, use, change and improve the software.
Closed source = vender lock-in
The following image represents how closed source or proprietary software vendors link customers to them (click to enlarge) :
Open source provides access to the source code. It provides the user with freedom of choice. Let's compare (click to enlarge) :
The advantages
- Economics : open source software is usually freely available, whereas proprietary software can carry a hefty pricetag, as well as renewal and additional support fees
- Stability : because of its openness, open source software is under much more scrutiny, resulting in fewer bugs and improved stability
- Innovation is not restricted to the knowledge of 1 company at a time : everyone around the world can join in and create innovative products
- Integration : open source software is easier to integrate with other software
The open source world
Open source software is accepted by large corporations around the world :
- Over 50% of all Internet servers run on the open source operating system Linux
- Over 55% of all websites run on open source webserver Apache (another 20% runs on other open source webservers)
- Some of the largest websites around the world base their entire solution on open source software : Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Flickr, Youtube, etc.