Open Source

An open-source model involves software development conducted collaboratively by multiple independent entities (essentially a group of interested and expert volunteers). Although the rights to the resultant software may be owned by a single entity, the source code continues to be made available for editing through licenses.

The benefits of open source include the potential for enhanced and more diverse creativity. Security is a concern with open source; however, its proponents argue that because the open-source environment comprises a diverse set of contributors, the likelihood of finding malicious code is increased. There is a strong open-source community of experts and volunteers who advocate for open development and collaboration.

In contrast, proprietary software is developed, owned, and controlled by one entity, which also solely develops new features and tests for security. Although configuration control is generally not an issue, cost, requirements, and security remain areas that must be carefully considered. Additionally, owners/developers of proprietary software generally have limited resources available to address bugs or security issues, potentially delaying the development of patches and increasing the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited.

Resources

  • Open-Source Software contains an example of one company's decision-making process around open source versus proprietary.

Check Your Knowledge

Choose the best answer to each question:
Question 1
Which of the following is the best definition of open-source software (OSS)?
software that is available in source code form, with licensing that permits the user to study, use, change, and improve the software
operating systems software that that cannot be changed
application systems software with the source code available at a minor cost
all of the above
Question 2
Which of the following outlines the main advantage between open-source software (OSS) and proprietary software from the OSS perspective?
customizable source code
proprietary source code
purchasable source code
none of the above
Question 3
An organization has to consider which of the following when making decisions about open-source software (OSS)?
cost, functionality, reliability, security
cost, lines of code, security, server hosting
cost, underlying operating system, programming language, server hosting
cost, functionality, programming language, security
Question 4
Which of the following associations promotes open and free software?
Open Software Foundation (OSF)
Free Software Foundation (FSF)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
all of the above