In this post I like to give you some insights, why I love Open Source Software and how you and your business could benefit from using it. It’s not only because most of Open Source Software is free, that I love it. Actually, I love donating to various projects, thus it’s not free in the sense of never paying for the software.
The main reason why I love Open Source Software is because it is the best visible evidence for mutuality. And mutuality is part of the unique Coaching Model Interrelations, which I created from my experience as a former Interim-Manager for Finance & Accounting.
Why is it an evidence of mutuality? Well, because a lot of people work together on a project they love. Most people spend their spare time improving the software. Still, it is a win-win for them. They might gain more experience in programming, translation, Interface-Design, or what ever needs to be done in the project. And as a user you and I benefit from the software when we are using it.
Open Source Software projects show what community effort could bring to life. There is an abundance of software available for nearly any kind of use case you could think off.
An example of Open Source Software
For example, if you are running a Website on WordPress, you are using Open Source Software. But, you may think if this kind of software is relaible. Well, it mostly is. However, there might be some badly developed programs out there too, but you could find this with proprietary software as well.
In terms of reliability I could say, I never had an issue, which wasn’t possible to solve. I run all my computer on Ubuntu for years now. Most people I work with might not even notice that.
Yes, it’s true sometimes open source software could be a pain in the ass, but as there are plenty of applications to chose from, you do not need to stick with what bothers you. When I think back to the times I used another proprietary operation system for my computers, there had been also some pain in the ass moments that made me switch to Linux after some time.
But I learned that the open source community is very help- and resourceful. So many things I had solved by using the solutions already provided in forums. And if there wasn’t anything, I just asked for help. Eventually I got it.
How businesses could make money providing open source software?
Usually open source software free. No payment necessary.
To earn money with open source software, businesses could provide implementation services, help with troubleshooting, or provide customization or maintance services for a fee. Also, they could provide additional features for additional payment. It’s very common that there is a free community version and an enterprise-level version, while the latter implies some license cost, but offers more features or better support options.
Some open source software solutions are still offering all features for free. But, let’s continue checking how businesses could make money with open source software. Another option is to accept donations. Or they could find sponsors for specific events or software modules. Some of the businesses might also offer the open source solution they created as a cloud service to other businesses or individuals.
And I guess, there would be many more possibilities to turn open source software into a money making product without losing the open source conditions on it.
How could you and your business benefit from open source software?
One big benefit of Open source software is that its source code is freely available for modification, redistribution, and inspection. That means you could do anything with it as you please. This could have downsides as we later see. But, that downside has nothing to do with the software, but what you may do with it.
Another great advantage of open source software is its security. Since the source code can be inspected by anyone, it’s more difficult for malicious individuals to hide malicious code within the program. Furthermore, many open source projects have a large community of developers who constantly review the code and make sure it’s secure.
Finally, open source software is highly customizable. This makes it easy to tailor apps and programs to your individual needs. But you need to keep in mind, that the more you customize for yourself, the more you move away what the project community is creating. Alternatively, you could contribute your customizations back to the project (in case it is not revealing any business secrets ;-).
Honestly, not needing to renew licenses for software every now and then is a great plus. As I use open source software in my business for many years now, I could only encourage you to do the same. Even keeping things up-to-date is relative easy and straight forward today compared to a decade ago. At least, that’s true for most of the software I use. Of course, for some software you need more knowledge about how to update them. But it’s nothing that could not be done.
Popular examples of open source software
Here are some popular examples of Open source software. Many of them are widely used, including web browsers such as Firefox, the operating system Linux, and productivity suites like LibreOffice. Other popular open source software in use today includes WordPress for content management systems, Apache for web servers and more, MySQL for databases and GIMP for image editing.
How about the email client Thunderbird. You may have heard about it or use it yourself. There is probably no category of software, where you won’t find any open source alternative. Are you surfing the internet a lot? Well, chances are high the websites you are visiting are running on Apache or Nginx powered servers. Sometimes we use these programs totally forgetting that they are open source.
How to contribute to the growth of open source projects
Open source software (OSS) provides an incredible opportunity for developers and non-developers alike to build, collaborate and share projects without having to worry about the cost of licensing fees or intellectual property law. OSS allows everyone to contribute.
Developers can contribute to the design and development of open source projects, while non-developers can help with user experience testing, bug fixing, documentation and translation. This type of collaboration allows for the project to be improved faster than if it were in a closed environment. Additionally, by having contributions from a variety of different backgrounds, it can lead to more innovative solutions and ideas.
Not only is OSS great for collaboration, but it also allows everyone to benefit from the progress made by others. Since anyone can access the source code, anyone can make changes or suggestions and then see those changes implemented in the project. This open-ended approach gives users more control and encourages greater participation, which in turn can lead to a better final product.
Overall, open source software is an incredibly powerful tool and provides a level playing field for developers and non-developers alike to contribute. By allowing everyone to have a voice, it creates a much more dynamic environment that can be used to create amazing projects. With the right collaboration, OSS can be a powerful tool for making great things happen.
What else could humanity bring to life when we all would work together? I guess a lot of amazing things.
Advantages and disadvantages of using open source software
Let’s dive into the advantages and disadvantages about using Open source software. Here are some of the major advantages of using open source software:
- Cost savings: Open source software is typically free or much less expensive than proprietary software. This means that businesses and individuals can save money on their IT budgets. It also means you don’t have to worry about recurring license fees, since you are not obligated to pay for continued use of the software.
- Greater flexibility: Open source software can be modified and customized as your business needs it, whereas proprietary software is limited to what the vendor offers. This makes open source software extremely valuable for businesses that need specialized solutions tailored to their specific needs.
- Security and stability: As open source software is usually backed by a large community of developers, it tends to be more secure and stable than proprietary software. The extra eyes reviewing the code for potential bugs or security flaws increases its reliability.
However, there are also some disadvantages about using open source software.
- Lack of technical support: Since open source software is not backed by a large corporation, finding help with technical issues or bugs might be harder. Well, that could be true, but does not need to be the case. Especially, when there is a big community behind an open source program, help isn’t far away.
- Limited features: Open source software may not have all the features of proprietary software, so users might need to buy additional products to get the desired functionality. Well, as I use mainly open source software, I could not tell that I’m missing any features. If one program does not have the feature I need, there might be another that has it.
- Lack of Documentation: Some times I used Open Source Software in the past, where the documentation about it was, not existing or misleading as it was not up to date. It’s something you really want to pay attention to, if the Open Source project does not provide good documentation, just leave it alone. Otherwise you may find yourself spending countless hours figuring out how things should work.
My own experience and why I love open source software
Sometimes I had to wait to find a solution to a problem, I had with a program. Other times I had the solution rather quickly, or got hints from forum participants what to look for.
At times, it could be time-consuming to solve an issue. However, that becomes more and more a rare thing. The vastness of options to chose from is what I love about Open Source Software. There is probably nothing you could not find software for. Sometimes even various solutions.
And, the quality of software as greatly improved since I started using Open Source more than a decade ago.
I’m sure, you already use Open Source Software in your business already. If not, give it a try. You’ll gonna love it!
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