Week 8 - Response to Content

What is the difference between proprietary and open source software?

http://realestatetomato.typepad.com/the_real_
estate_tomato/2007/06/know_the_facts_.html

Open source software is a programming philosophy, which under a license allows you to make copies of the software and pass them on to anyone, this means aspects of the program are open for review (what is What.com 2008). A source code comes with the software that allows you to change to meet your needs. Open source software is usually free or a low cost and available to download off the Internet. Each license can be different, so when downloading make sure that you read the license before using or changing the software. “Some licenses require you to make any changes made to the source code publicly available, while others will allow you to keep those changes private” (business Link 2011). Some advantages of downloading and using open source software is:

• Lower software licensing costs
• No supplier lock-in
• Freedom to do what you want with the software
• Open standards that support collaborative development
• Freedom to upgrade software as it suits your business (Business Link 2011)

Some of the main disadvantages are:

• It may be difficult to get support
• Some propriety formats Microsoft Word's '.doc' format are so widely used that other formats may be less acceptable for business (Business Link 2011)

http://comsoft.org/proprietary-software/

The opposite of open source software is propriety software, whereby the development of the program is by the supplier and made available for you to use under a license. The source code is only available to the developer of the software and to people that successfully hack it. When buying propriety software you are not buying the software, you are buying the rights to use it in a specific way. When buying propriety software, it prohibits you from:

• making copies of the software and passing them on
• Selling your license to someone else (Business Link 2011)

References

Business Link 2011, Computer software: the basics, viewed 23 September 2011, via <http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073791277&type=RESOURCES>

What is What.com 2008, What is open source, viewed 23 September 2011, via < http://what-is-what.com/what_is/open_source.html>