Is Open Source Software Right For Your Small Business?
Keypoints of open source software
1. It’s free to use and usually distributed for free. Some companies will package it up and make it a little easier to install, for this they charge a small fee. Other companies will sell the product but then give you free support for a limited time.
2. Most open source software is developed for the linux platform. Before considering adopting linux as an operating system you’ll need to make sure you have easy access to linux support people. One really good tech, who happens to be the same guy who sold you the software isn’t good enough. He’ll end up owning your business.
Open Source Software and Propaganda
All too often a store clerk responds to questions about Open Source Software (OSS), “With open source software, you get what you pay for”. Putting aside that they are hourly employees or commission sales people selling a product/service, this is the biggest source of mis-truths of OSS. Companies that produce proprietary software want people to believe OSS is written in someone’s basement haphazardly. Obviously because it affects their bottom line.
There is some truth about code being created in a basement, but it is hardly bad code. A lot of great companies started in a garage. Anyway, all good programming starts with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The basic process is identifying the need, implementing a test model, implementing the production model, updates/patches, and end of life. Revision control systems usually show program_name #.#.# or program_name yy.mm. No matter what kind of program it is, you’ll find this or something similar. Even software developers just starting out in their basements will write code with this style.
What You Need to Know About Popular Software – Linux Operating System
Linux is a widely-used open source operating system based on the Unix operating system. Open source means that the source code that comprises this gigantic program may be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone. The name “Linux” comes from the Linus Torvalds, the Finnish computer engineer who wrote essential components of the software in 1991 at the age of 22. He later obtained a master’s degree for this software. Torvalds is still very actively involved in Linux, and is the final authority on incorporating extensions into the operating system.
Linux is used in a wide range of embedded devices such as cell phones and consumer electronics, industrial automation, and medical equipment. It also runs a wide variety of computers ranging from personal computers to servers and supercomputers. Linux is a major player in the rapidly expanding netbook market, very light and inexpensive portable computers.