What is open source software?

Open source software has source code that anyone can access, modify, and enhance. Due to its open nature, anyone – including developers – can inspect, adjust, and improve open source software by adding new features, thus driving transparency, collaboration, and innovation.

 

Open Source vs. Closed Source Software

Unlike open source software, “proprietary” or “closed source” software is owned by a single entity that maintains exclusive control over the software’s source code.

Only the original creators of proprietary software can legally copy, inspect, and distribute the source code of that program. Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud suite are examples of proprietary software.

Sharing the source code

Open source software is different. Its authors make its source code available to others who would like to view, copy, alter, share or learn from the code. LibreOffice and Firefox are examples of open source software.

Before using open source software, users must accept the terms of a license, as they do with proprietary software. However, the legal terms of open source licenses differ dramatically from those of proprietary licenses.

Open source licenses affect the way people can use, study, modify, and distribute software. In general, these allow users to use the source for any purpose they wish, and make any changes specific to their needs. 

By design, open source software licenses promote collaboration and sharing because they allow other people to modify the source code and incorporate those changes into their projects. They encourage developers to access, view, and modify open source software whenever they like, as long as they let others do the same when they share their work.

Why use open source software

Companies prefer open source software to proprietary software for a number of reasons, including:

Control 

Many people prefer using open source software because they have more control. They can examine the code to understand how it works, and enhance or change parts of it they don’t like. Users who do not have a programming background also benefit from the freedom that open source software provides, such as the ability to use the software for any purpose and their specific needs, and not be limited to the way someone else thinks it should be used.

Training

Open source software is known to help people become better programmers. Due to the accessible nature of open source code, students can easily study it and share their work with others, thus helping them learn how to make better software and develop their skills. When people discover mistakes in programs’ source code, they can share these learnings and collaborate with the open source community to help them avoid making the same mistakes.

Security 

Open source software is considered more secure and stable than proprietary software. Since anyone can view and modify the source code, people other than the original creators can spot and correct errors or omissions. This leads to a larger and broader community working on changes and releases, ensuring that vulnerabilities and inefficiencies are addressed faster and more often.

Stability 

Successful and supported open source projects, such as Firefox, Linux, and WordPress, continue to grow bigger and better over time. This is partly due to the large communities supporting and contributing to their code. This is important for use in long-term projects and ensuring longevity. As programmers publicly distribute the source code for open source software, other users relying on that software for critical tasks can be sure their tools won’t disappear or fall into disrepair if their original creators stop working on them – other development teams reliant on the application will continue to support it. In general, the distributed nature and sharing ethos of open source software ensures that your project is still supported even if the organisation that created the application discontinues their involvement.

Community

Open source software often inspires a community of users and developers to form around it, such as the Moodle LMS Community. This is not unique to open source; many popular applications are the subject of meetups and user groups. But in the case of open source, the community isn’t just a fanbase that buys in (emotionally or financially) to an elite user group; it’s the people who produce, test, use, promote, and ultimately affect the software they love.

Is Open Source technology free?

There is a common misconception about what “open source” implies, and the concept’s implications are not only financial.

While open source software applications may be free of charge, third-party services associated with implementing, migrating, providing managed services for and undertaking custom design and development are not. 

Services for open source software technology 

There are four main services provided for open source software technologies:

Implementation services 

Starting from scratch? Specialist providers can provide services to install the technology you need into your business and help you master your platform’s functionality and features to create optimal performance that supports your business goals. 

Migration services

Undertaking data migration is often seen as ‘the’ major challenge when it comes to moving to a new system. At Catalyst, we find that many of our clients are looking to migrate from one learning management system to another, however, they do not have the knowledge, skills, experience or the capacity to plan the approach and execute the plan in a seamless and pain-free way. 

 

Managed services & hosting 

With the increasing amount of critical business operations being conducted online, the importance of system availability and scalability are second to none.  The protection of your users, your organisation and your brand is paramount. By employing the skills and experience of a specialised managed services provider, you can rest assured that you have support to respond to and resolve any issues that arise.

Custom design and development 

Business environments continue to evolve in the rise of the digital age, and with this comes the changing requirements of various systems. To remain viable and competitive, many of our clients have found the need to develop and design new capabilities to support their business, staff and users. For many, this task is out of scope from their role, so they turn to Catalyst to leverage our skills and experience to create and implement their solutions efficiently and effectively. 

Are you looking for support for your open source software applications?