Monday, October 14, 2013

OPEN SOURCE Vs CLOSED SOURCE

Most software that you buy or download only comes in the compiled ready-to-run version. Compiled means that the actual program code that the developer created, known as the source code, has run through a special program called a compiler that translates the source code into a form that the computer can. It is extremely difficult to modify the compiled version of most applications and nearly impossible to see exactly how the developer created different parts of the program. Most commercial software manufacturers see this as an advantage that keeps other companies from copying their code and using it in a competing product. It also gives them control over the quality and features found in a particular product.
 This kind of software is frequently called "proprietary software" or "closed source" software, because its source code is the property of its original authors, who are the only ones legally allowed to copy or modify it. Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop are examples of proprietary software



Open source software is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The source code is included with the compiled version and modification or customization is actually encouraged. The software developers who support the open source concept believe that by allowing anyone who's interested to modify the source code, the application will be more useful and error-free over the long term.
To be considered as open source software by the software development industry, certain criteria must be met:
·         The program must be freely distributed
·         Source code must be included.
·         Anyone must be allowed to modify the source code.
·         Modified versions can be redistributed.
·         The license must not require the exclusion of other software or interfere with the operation of other software.

A common concern for end-users who wish to use open source software is the lack of a warranty and technical support. Because the software's license encourages modification and customization, it is nearly impossible to  support,For most businesses, the assurance of technical support has been a key factor in the decision.

In my opinion Closed source is better than Open source
  • You never have to fix component when something goes wrong
  • You don't have to worry about contributing your change back to community
  • You don't have to think about open source licensing term and compliance issues
  • You don't have to choose among dozen of option of every component
  • You don't have to look around for technical support


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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 14, 2013 at 11:01 PM

    Hi Vimal! I like how your post is not only a summary of open source software, but also a comparison of proprietary/closed software. The way you listed the requirements of open source software makes it easy to read and understand as opposed to a giant block of text. I agree that a common concern of open source software is the lack of support. The software could be so big that it is difficult to update or so small that technical support is nonexistent.
    Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eve ZhengOctober 14, 2013 at 11:29 PM

    Hello Vimal,
    This is a nice short post about open-source software. It is clear and easy to read!
    It would be really great if you can talk more about some specific open-source software that you like or you use, in addition to these major principles and definitions. I would like to know more about your own experience and opinion on this topic!
    Also, if you can add more comments for your images, this blog post can be more informative!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vimal Kumar October 15, 2013 at 12:28 AM

      Thanks for your comment, i updated my opinion in blog as per your suggestion.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousOctober 15, 2013 at 9:39 PM

    Compilation was never intended to the scramble source code so no one other than the copyright owner of the source code could see them; there are actually tools out there that can reverse engineer the compiled code. It is simply because compiler can produce better-optimized code than a human in most of the cases. Copyright laws provide better protection from piracy than scrambling the code. Also there are companies that provide support services for open source projects, two marquee examples are RedHat and SprngSource.

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