Is Open Source for You? - Yahoo! News

Is Open Source for You? - Yahoo! News: "Is Open Source for You?

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Wed Aug 17, 6:59 PM ET


Tim Gnatek - ExtremeTech

Millions of people are turning to free and open-source software for personal productivity and play. But is it the right move for you? There are many advantages to taking the open road, as well as a few danger signs to be aware of first.


Open Source Benefits

Don't ignore a good deal. Not only is the software free, there are no licensing fees to pay, making open source particularly attractive to cost-conscious businesses. At that price, testing the waters of open source is approachable for anyone.

Join a community. Being part of the open-source movement ties you into a legion of developers and users who share a common interest and an enthusiasm for enhancing the program's performance.

Be safe, secure and see-through. Because there are so many people working on the program, and bugs can be handled right away, you can expect fixes and new releases faster than with commercial applications. And because the source code is public, security measures in the software can be easily verified and, when necessary, improved.

Customize your programs. If you know enough about programming, you can dip into the available source code and build your own software add-ons to make programs do exactly what you want. If playing with a program language makes you feel as comfortable as a medical intern dealing with a cadaver for the first time, users with great ideas can offer suggestions to developers.

Open Source Shortcomings

Less selection. While there are thousands of open-source programs available, commercial software still outnumbers them by far. While there are representative programs for many common types of software, there's hardly the richness of availability that commercial programs have – especially when it comes to video games and productivity titles.

Not ready for prime time. Many developers release immature programs to take advantage of willing helpers in the open-source community. Users can expect to come across some operating problems. People can fix the bugs themselves, or refer to earlier, more stable versions that may lack more recent tweaks, but have been checked out and tested longer.

Programs can be difficult to use. In many cases, open-source software is by programmers for programmers, and lacks the gentle learning curve or support that you would find with commercial titles. As open-source programs advance and mature, however, they are becoming friendlier for novices to get into, and have better-designed tutorials and help options.

A price for freedom. Sure, the programs are free, but it still may cost a little if you have problems getting programs up and running. Open-source licensing doesn't prevent companies from selling enhanced packages of free software, or making a business out of offering support. Sun, for example, sells a packaged version of OpenOffice called StarOffice for $79.95, which comes with a manual and technical help."