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Proprietary vs. Free/Open Source Software. by: Brett Rowland. Introduction. Definitions, Interdisciplinary Reach, Licensing Models Attributes: Pros and Cons So, what should SAs use???. Definitions. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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PROPRIETARY VS. FREE/OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
by: Brett Rowland
Introduction
Definitions, Interdisciplinary Reach, Licensing Models
Attributes: Pros and Cons So, what should SAs use???
Definitions
Proprietary software: Created by an individual or company for profit; distribution does not include source code, developer has exclusive rights. The purchaser (licensee) is given right to use software, but does not have right to modify or redistribute it.
Open source software: Software in which source code is available to end user. Users may (and are encouraged to) modify and redistribute software. Software is essentially free - support may not be free. Some restrictions may apply… prices and participation may vary…
Interdisciplinary Reach
This fight between proprietary vs. open source software challenges many disciplines… Computer Science Academia in general Sociology Psychology Economics Business Legal
Licensing Models
Thomas Trappler, Director of UCLA Software Licensing states, “OSS is defined less by what the software does than what the user can do with it. One of the primary things that distinguishes OSS from PS is its licensing model.”
Licensing Models cont.
Source code available to all
License terms neutral Concise/straightforward
license terms, easier compliance
Some OSS license incompatibility between different OSS products
Source code only available to vendor
License terms favor vendor
Lengthy/Complex license terms, tracking license compliance can be difficult
License terms vary widely between PS vendors
Open Source Proprietary
Attributes
Flexibility
Customizable, limited only by in-house resources
Others can help modify, leading to greater good for entire OSS community
More choices = more flexibility in software, hardware, and support
Typically not too customizable
Mature PS products usually include more features
Structure products as suites; user content stored in proprietary format, making it difficult to replace the product, which leads to vendor lock-in
Open Source Proprietary
Cost
No initial license fee External support fees Introduces competitive
market forces leading to lower costs
In-house support is required, IT staff must learn about product’s source code
Excellent OSS community support
Initial license fee Support is included or
added with small fee External support only
through PS vendor, makes negotiating harder
In-house support possible, but more difficult without source code
Some community support
Open Source Proprietary
Cost cont.
Total cost of ownership? Depends who you ask…
Deployment & Maintenance
Can sometimes be difficult to deploy
Modular; pieces can be switched without whole redesign; only use what you need
License management is easy
More independence; if software company goes bankrupt, community still has source code
Easy to deploy Must get whole
“package”; some unused features
License management is more difficult; risk of illegal copies and license audits
Must rely on single vendor; if company goes bankrupt the user is SOL
Open Source Proprietary
Quality
OSS development not always well managed
Who is accountable for quality? Continually peer-reviewed
ITS staff must maintain knowledge of updates and upgrades
What version updates are reliable?
Managed well by corporate entity
Employ numerous developers to look for and fix errors
Vendors provide notification of updates and upgrades
Vendor is usually the only source to get updates and upgrades for product
Open Source Proprietary
Security
Open code = problems found and fixed quickly
Open code = ANYONE can view and look for potential exploits (including malicious attackers)
Open code = users can review and determine actual level of security of product prior to adoption
Numerous full-time employees working to ensure code is secure
Closed code = more difficult for malicious attackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities
Closed code = users cannot review and determine actual level of security of product prior to adoption
Open Source Proprietary
Other Attributes…
Intellectual Property Rights Reliability User Friendliness Innovation Collaboration Competition more…
So, what should SAs use?
Ask yourself…
Do certain projects lend themselves to OSS? Is there a problem with current software being
implemented? Can changes be made (easily)?
Use Both!
References for SAs
Google “open source solutions for system administrators” and get lists and reviews of popular OSS SAs use
Free and Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning: Systems and Strategies (Dec 2011)
Thomas Trappler (licensing)
References http://ballstate.academia.edu/AMiller/Papers/800797/Open_Sour
ce_v._Proprietary_Software http://www.idea.org/blog/2011/07/22/open-source-vs-proprietary
-software/ http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuart
erlyMagazineVolum/IsThereSuchaThingasFreeSoftwar/174575 http://www.netc.org/openoptions/pros_cons/comparing.html http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=443040 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=588763 http://oxrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/2/248.short http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9789275-16.html http://coppola.rsmart.com/2010/08/12/apples-oranges-and-open-
source/