Open Source – It’s All About Great Software

The debate over open source coding has raged since its inception, and people continue to claim aggrieved status on proprietary works while others continue stating “It’s all about Great Software!”. Open source code is a way of collaborating on specific apps to allow users to have the same kind of applications available to them with no cost as they would have if they were to purchase the highly expensive proprietary ones.

The most well known and highly used open source code is a counter to the expensive and widespread office application. This open office software allows users to have the same tools and even formatting free instead of having to pay large sums of money to a company that continually upgrades software and demands upgrade fees of users to stay on the cutting edge.

With open source applications, the end user is put first, instead of the bottom line of the company producing the application. Some say that security is an issue with open source applications, yet defenders of open source say that security within paid software applications is compromised just as easily and often more frequently than their open source counterparts.

The transparency contained within open source applications is obvious where as a paid application hides behind the company name and can continually gather information on users for their own benefits. These benefits can range from database information gathering for the purpose of targeted marketing campaigns within the company up to and including selling the information to third parties.

This kind of open code allows individuals to make changes and upgrades to the app without infringing upon copyright of the original designer. The ability to make these kinds of changes only furthers the advancement of technology and code allowing for a better product to the end users. In the true spirit of free market, this seems on the front to fly in the face of capitalism, until one realizes that free markets will support user-based decisions on improvement and innovation.

Many developers of this kind of code rely upon the users to donate funds to help keep the process of improvement moving forward. Developers will not charge for their work, but they are more than willing to accept any amount of money that a user is willing to give them for their time and work. Far removed from the multi-billion dollar mega corporations and their budgets, this kind of open development of applications is competitive on a small scale to the big corporate programs.

Many of the programmers who write open-source code are former employees of large corporations. When they became tired of the policies and lack of moral fortitude of the major players in the software industry, they decided to offer the public something just as good, or better, and at no cost.

For these code writers, the phrase, “It’s all about Great Software.”, is more than just a trite saying. They have backed this ideal with their time, energy, talents, and money. The end user deserves the best quality and the highest security possible in their minds, and open sources are the best way to provide that to them.

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