Why Do Companies Still Have a Fear of Open Source?

Open Source Software, since its birth, has made people wonder about its effects. The debate is never-ending, and for the right reasons. Giants like Apple have often viewed Open Source skeptically because they are mostly unfounded. However, one cannot deny that these sources are functional and flexible. They are also partly responsible for bringing the technological world in the right direction. But are they worth it? In this article, we shall learn all about open source companies and why use open source software, and why open source software is still not greeted warmly by certain companies. Therefore, without further ado, let's start right away.

What Is Open Source?

For readers who still have a clouded knowledge of open source software, let us begin by explaining what exactly it is. It is computer software that allows users to study, modify and distribute the software along with its source code. It can be accessed by anyone for any purpose. Furthermore, it is not restricted and is developed and used in a collaborative, public manner. It can be used by professional developers and college students alike. One can easily examine the code and change it for his own purpose.

There are several essays and samples of research paper that can elucidate the meaning further.

Why Do Big Companies Like Apple and Windows Avoid Open Source?

Despite open source software having several benefits, most big companies are reluctant to use them. They are scared of exposing their privacy and code to strangers, but one can only marvel at the absurdity of this apprehension. The nature of fear is often unfounded, and essays about fear and how evolution has made human beings conceive things around them often throw light on it. You can find the best essay topics on fear and understand them with the examples of these companies.

However, while one can make a choice between the two software, it is absolutely illogical to assign false prejudice to open source. Bugs attack both of them equally, and it takes a group of people to maintain software for a company. And big companies, probably, like to depend on people they have hired personally and are apprehensive about relying on an open community.

But at the end of the day, they will have to depend on somebody for the maintenance of their software. Open source lets the best people from across communities and countries contribute to the process. There is no guarantee that a company will have the best people. They may get the best from amongst the interviewees who appeared for the job screening, but it is impossible to swear that they have the best. With a proprietary source, it is restricted to only those people. But open source can be accessed by people beyond geographical boundaries.

Open Source software development is eligible to bring in varied perspectives beyond the boundaries of a single company. A report by the Standish Group published in 2008 clearly stated that the acquisition and development of open-source software models gave way to a savings of $60 billion per year for consumers.

Open Source vs Proprietary Software

Now that we know about open source, let us quickly see what proprietary software means. It is a kind of software that is owned by a company of an individual who publishes it. It does not give other people the right to examine its code or alter it. Such companies are impractically against open source and use the other kind for propriety reasons. The following are the basic differences between the two:

1- Flexibility

Pens source offers users more flexibility as they can use it for their own purpose while propriety software does not offer that kind of flexibility and comes with several restrictions. It has a monopoly on the software.

2- Maintenance

Since open source is a sort of communal software, it is developed and maintained by the community while the particular group that has developed the proprietary software, maintains it.

3- Support

While many companies prefer open-source, certain big companies swear by proprietary software as they have a fear of open-source since it can be accessed by anyone and everyone. We shall learn more about why giants do not like to become open source companies in the immediately following section.

Final Words

Thus, open software development is not as insecure as some companies might think it to be. It can enable the company to use brain power from all over the world and make their software better. It allows them to utilize a lot of different ideas and use them to their own advantage. More and more companies are coming to terms with open source and are accepting and embracing them. Even larger companies today are seen gravitating towards open source. With such a change in the scenario, one can hope for the eradication of irrational fear against open source in the coming years.