Adopting Open Source Technologies – Benefits Galore

 

There has been a surge in the use of open source technology for a wide variety of applications. Newsflash!!! : Whitehouse website is on Drupal (leading open-source Content Management System). This proves that gone are the days when open source technology was looked down upon and times when it was thought that open source technology cannot be used for large-scale projects. You must’ve heard about Mozilla Firefox (browser), Apache (web server), Linux (operating system), Open Office (an office utility), Drupal (content management system), etc. All of these are excellent end-products in wide-use and based on the open-source model. Today, open-source is used extensively by some of the corporate biggies including Google, Intel, Sony, IBM, etc.

 

Few examples of high traffic websites based on the open-source technology include the likes of:

 

• Google.com – The most popular search engine on the internet, Google.com runs on the Linux operating system which is undoubtedly the best example of an open-source technology.
• Amazon.com – Started as an online bookstore, Amazon.com is one of the largest e-commerce platforms on the internet as of today. With its e-commerce system written using Perl and the site running on Apache and Linux server, Amazon is another example of a big website benefiting from the open-source revolution.
• Aol.com – Running on the AOL Server (open-source), America Online is another stamp of approval on the growing use of the open-source technology.
• Altavista.com – A leading internet search giant, Altavista runs on the linux server.
• http://www.pm.gov.au/ - Website of the current Australian Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd runs on Drupal-power (open-source CMS).

 

Software created using the open-source technology is largely distributed under the General Public License (GPU) and allows for modification, copy and redistribution of the software. However, one cannot convert the modified versions into proprietary software.

Many of the successful software on the web today are largely a result of the revolution brought in by the open-source technology.

 

Touching down on few of the benefits of going open-source:

 

1. Code: Open-Source scores heavily over proprietary software over the important fact that the software code is freely available for modification as per your own requirements in comparison to the proprietary software in which there is hardly any scope of re-engineering.
2. Scalability and Support: Large communities of developers are the driving force behind the creation of open-source technologies such as Linux, Apache and Drupal and are an excellent choice for diverse kinds of organizations looking for options which can also help them to scale-up in the future.
3. Cost: Most of the open-source applications available today are free to download, use and customize and are available under the General Public License (GPL) which define its use. The cost aspect is what makes open-source technologies stand out in comparison to proprietary software.

 

 

I am sure if you are grappling with the idea of choosing open-source technology v/s proprietary software, the above write-up would help you make that decision. Go for it.