Author: Andrew Mikhaliuk, CEO of CoreWin
FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) is software whose source code is open to everyone. In simple terms, this means that anyone can freely access, distribute, and modify such software. In contrast, proprietary software is protected by copyright, and the source code is not available. Both open-source and commercial products have strong supporters in their respective communities.
One of the arguments for open-source is that the open-source software development method is significantly superior to commercial methods. FOSS is usually developed by much larger teams. The open-source nature of the code enables quicker discovery of vulnerabilities. Typically, attackers or activists identify these vulnerabilities faster. As a result, they become known to the public and FOSS developers much more rapidly.
Others disagree and point to the importance of a performance guarantee made by a large commercial company. It is worth noting that marketing claims and real commitments are not identical. And that is why they may not provide real guarantees.
One thing is for sure: FOSS has come a long way since the 80s (when the GNU project was launched in 1983). Back then, it was impossible to imagine running a business on open-source software. Today, FOSS is used in many companies, including Amazon, IBM, and Google. The days when open-source software was skeptical of entrepreneurs and business professionals are long gone. The voices of those who believe that open-source is the future are growing louder. This is primarily due to a paradigm shift in the perception of software as a whole. Additionally, it reflects a change in how FOSS is viewed in particular. Society perceives software less and less as a product and more and more as a service agreement.
This is primarily due to two factors:
- the dynamism of software tools, shorter development cycles
- the increasing unpredictability of economic realities
On the one hand, writing code is easier than ever. There are easy-to-understand high-level programming languages like Python or JavaScript with many libraries and frameworks. There is an incredible amount of free video material, including Harvard’s open lectures and a huge number of forums such as Stack Overflow. Code editor assistants, including paid ones, can literally finish the line for the programmer. The Internet is also still buzzing with ChatGPT and talk of how soon programs will write programs, and humans will only have to set the right task.
On the other hand, the world is not stable now, and the tools that worked a year ago may already be outdated or irrelevant to the company. Yesterday, a paper sales journal might have been the standard, but today the company is changing to a second CRM solution. And this is not always due to the failure of the previous system, it could simply cease to meet business objectives. Needless to say, it is considered the norm to update a corporate website at least once every 3 years.
Having a perpetual license for paid software without support and updates is a disservice. It is very likely (almost guaranteed) that the business requirements for this solution will be dynamic, and this solution will need to be customized or even finalized. Without developer support, without access to the code, and often even without a user forum, it is almost impossible to do this on your own. Moreover, without systematic updates, this solution will stop working properly on updated OSes or with other third-party components (database, web server, etc.) and become vulnerable quickly.
That’s why software is not a product, but a service. This means that there is no fundamental difference whether the code is closed or open source. What comes to the fore is the level of support and flexibility of the integrator, distributor, and development team, which ensure the solution works and is customized to you.
Taking these trends into account, hybrid developers are emerging in the market. On the one hand, they work on FOSS solutions, but on the other hand, they have a development team, support service, and a partner channel.
Pros and cons
Let’s take a closer look at the main pros and cons of using open-source software in business. We will also see how they are affected by the availability of a high-quality service alongside free software. Let’s analyze each point and consider the hybrid option, where the code itself is free, but it is backed by a powerful development company with a support service and an existing channel of partners in your region.
Pros: Initial cost
There are almost no initial costs for open-source software. You just need to download the code from the original source, and you’re good to go. If you’re on a tight budget, it might be a good idea to go with open-source rather than spending money on expensive solutions. But the absence of initial costs doesn’t mean there aren’t any… which brings us to our first argument against it.
Cons: Long-term cost
At some point, the cost of FOSS software may increase. If there is any problem that needs immediate resolution, you will have to respond quickly. However, you can’t push your vendor or developer support because they are not available. Instead, you will either have to solve problems yourself or seek outside help.
The disadvantage in this case, as we can see, is the lack of local support from the developer and partner. In practice, although it is commonly believed that free software lacks these elements, they may also be absent in a particular region. And in the case of a FOSS developer and a network of local partners, these disadvantages are completely offset.
Conclusion
In this chapter, we have seen confirmation of the thesis that software is primarily a service. With a sufficient level of support, open-source software allows you to avoid large initial investments, but have support from developers in a critical situation.
Pros: Reliability
Open-source software is very reliable. Usually, thousands of expert developers work on creating and constantly improving such software. This means that there are more chances that someone will notice a flaw or bug and fix it quickly. Another pair of eyes is always a plus, or in this case, hundreds or thousands of eyes.
Cons: Support
The key advantage of commercial software is maintenance and support. This is what open-source software typically lacks. Commercial vendors offer ongoing support, and this is important if you don’t have technical skills.
However, this disadvantage is again offset by the hybrid type of solution described above.
Conclusion
For classic freeware, the lack of ongoing and responsive support is a serious obstacle. However, since, according to the latest trends, free software has a company behind it, technical support is available. It is crucial not to forget to purchase it.
Pros: Durability
Because anyone can access the source code, open-source software can be constantly evolving. Anyone can contribute to improving the software without any vendor restrictions. In addition, if the commercial company that created the software goes out of business, you lose support, patches, and all the other services they included. This is not the case with FOSS, as you can seek help from user communities or hire individual programmers if necessary.
Cons: Developers may leave the project
There is always a chance that the developers of a program will lose interest in further work on the software or simply move on to another project. That being said, both open-source and proprietary software can be discontinued for any reason.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, for both paid and free software, there is always a risk that the company will go bankrupt, all activists will lose interest, and the software will stop being developed. Nevertheless, for a hybrid company, the risk that the company will close is no higher than for paid ones, but there is an additional resource in the form of activists who can support the solution.
Pros: Security
Proponents of open-source software claim that open-source software is generally more secure than proprietary software. Bugs and other problems are usually resolved as soon as they are discovered by community members.
Cons: Security
Open-source software is not developed in a controlled environment. With hundreds of developers working on the software, there is a chance that some of them may have malicious intentions. For a disaster, it only takes one programmer to include viruses in the software. In the case of closed software, only the vendor’s developers can view and edit the source code.
Conclusion
A hybrid approach takes the best of both worlds. On the one hand, security is reviewed by everyone, which means that issue detection is much faster. On the other hand, if a development company is involved, they are the ones controlling the release of the main development branch. In other words, they oversee the “certified” version of the solution and therefore maintain a level of quality control that is no less stringent than that of paid solutions.
Experts on the development of open-source software
Finally, here’s what colleagues say about open-source software, confirming that the market is moving towards a transformation from closed to open-source.
“Open-source will continue to take over every area that proprietary software touches. We will see more (successful) open-source software (OSS) alternatives to the existing tools we all rely on. The developer community will grow as well, as companies and governments continue to increase their investment in an open-source software strategy,” – Avi Press, CEO of Scarf.
“The challenge that we all face now is that open-source software development and maintenance has traditionally relied heavily on small groups of contributors with deep expertise. These small groups take care of projects even as those projects become more critical to companies and users, so the technology is embedded in applications used by millions of people. This ubiquitous level of use means that for this software to continue to be successful, the projects themselves ultimately depend on people who don’t get the level of support they need and deserve,” – Amanda Brock, CEO of OpenUK.
“From operating systems to security mechanisms and data flow, transparency and inclusivity are the essence of open source. By leveraging [their globally pooled] shared resources, developers can be inspired to innovate, create, and ultimately help optimize organizational operations. Cloud computing embodies this spirit by enabling flexible deployment and collaboration for open-source projects and making them accessible to a wider audience,” – Yangqing Jia, former Vice President of Alibaba Group.
