Open Source For Business
Openstrike are committed to the open source movement and the software provided by it. Many businesses are unaware of open source and the benefits which it can bring. If you are feeling locked in by Windows, seeing your licensing costs spiralling out of control or are just disillusioned by your personal computing experience in general then it's time you moved to open source.
What is open source?
Open source software is simply programs where the source code (the list of instructions which tell the program how to operate) is available to everyone in a human-readable form, such that they may be altered to change the way the program behaves. This allows the software to be tailored to an individual user's exact requirements as opposed to traditional proprietary alternatives which exist in only one inflexible form.
Why should I use open source?
There are many reasons why open source software is superior. The most important reasons are listed here:
- Security. Because millions of people around the globe have access to the source code, open source software is subject to much greater scrutiny and peer review than those from software houses where only a small number of developers are used for quality control.
- Reliability. For the same reasons as security, the programs produced by the open source community are inherently more stable and reliable.
- Cost. Many open source products are available for little or no cost, providing considerable savings over their much more expensive proprietary competitors.
- Flexibility. Since the source can be modified to an arbitrary degree, the program can be made to do literally anything of which the associated hardware is capable.
- No lock-in. With proprietary systems the user can become increasingly dependent on one supplier. If that supplier then ceases trading, or discontinues the product, the user is left in a precarious position. With open source products the community is able to continue to support and develop the program indefinitely.
- Lack of hardware or operating system restrictions. Open source products can be ported to other platforms by the user community rather than being stuck on the particular platforms which the vendor arbitrarily chooses to support.
What is free software and how can that possibly work?
The term free software can be confusing as it refers to the freedom to use and to alter the software rather than the software being free of charge per se. The fact that much free software is available at no cost adds to this confusion. For detailed explanations, please refer to the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative.
Software can be provided at no cost because it comes with no warranty and no support. Such additional features can be paid for but are not a requirement of the use of the software. This is where Openstrike comes in. We can provide the support, configuration, training and consultancy your business needs to make full use of this fantastic resource. As to whether or not it can work, we would be hypocritical if we did not use these products ourselves. Openstrike is run as a business using only open source software.
Who uses open source?
Many leading companies and organisations use open source software extensively. Here are links to news stories regarding just a few of them.
Still not convinced?
We will be happy to discuss the open source model with you and answer any questions you may have. Please contact us by email or telephone.