Why should you use only open source technologies?
No doubt, open source technologies have been shaping the technology industry over the years, from being the preferred tool for developers or programmers to the most preferred choice for developing software in organizations.
With time, as data becomes more valuable, open source has changed how companies or organizations do business. Today, more and more organizations are adopting open-source technologies to gain a competitive advantage.
Most developers prefer using open-source projects, and they do it to speed up their regular work. There are various successful examples of open-source technologies such as Linux (it is an operating system) and React (it is a JavaScript library).
Unsurprisingly, the need to work with open-source technologies is becoming a must in this software industry. So, in this blog, we’ll explore this topic in depth.
What Is Open Source?
The term “Open Source” started in the software development industry that refers to anything that anyone can inspect, edit, and share. In simpler terms, Open source technologies are open to the public.
It is a type of licensing agreement that allows users to modify a platform or software, use it in a few ways, integrate the project into a larger project, or derive a new work based on the original ones.
Open-source technology is often misinterpreted to be free of cost. In most cases, this is true, however, open source makes only the source code freely available to the public. The program, on the other hand, can have a price attached to it.
A few examples of Open Source technology are WordPress, Open Cart, Joomla, Linux, and more.
Open Source VS Proprietary Technology
Proprietary or closed source technology refers to the source code that only an individual, team, or organization who built it can modify. No other than the authors of proprietary tech can copy, inspect, and modify that technology or software.
On the other hand, open-source technology allows anyone to alter or modify the source code. A good example of open-source technology is Wikipedia. Wikipedia was an open-source technology that allowed users to share information on a common platform and edit and re-distribute the shared information.
Benefits of Open Source Technologies
Open-source technologies come with various benefits as compared to proprietary software. A few of these benefits offer financial advantages while others help in increasing productivity and work efficiency.
Now, let’s dive into the benefits of open-source technologies that make them a practical solution for businesses of all kinds.
1. Flexibility
One of the main benefits of open-source technology is that it is flexible in terms of being built up or customized by the business or organization.
If we compare it to proprietary software, where you need to request the software vendor for making changes, open source gives you the flexibility to modify and customize it on your own.
With open-source technologies, one can add and remove components as one wants since the code is openly available and free to modify.
2. Fixing Bugs
Flexibility in open source technology allows programmers to constantly download the source code.
Since the technology not only allows you to freely download but also edit and share, thus, it is constantly being downloaded by the contributors who are editing the code, fixing the bugs, and redistributing it to the public.
These updates are again freely available and easy to download for the public to use, modify, and share.
3. Helps Scale
When businesses expand to meet the increasing demands, they expect their software to adjust according to the growing needs.
The open source technologies are flexible to scale to this ever-increasing or changing business needs, thus, making it an excellent option for businesses of all types and sizes.
Thus, with an open-source technology that scales to your specific needs, it becomes easy for an individual to create a balance in the workload and achieve the desired output.
4. Secure
When a business starts to use any new tool, its main concern is information privacy and security. With open-source technologies, you don’t have to worry about that.
One of the primary factors in improving the security of open-source technologies is it is openly accessible to all. It allows swift identification and modification of any functionalities by anyone accessing the source code.
5. Reliable
Since the technology is already freely available to users, it is less likely to be attacked by hackers, and thus, is the most reliable type of technology available.
Being employed by a large number of users, this is a tried and tested technology with the approval of the users. The continuous use of source code by programmers and developers increases the stability of the technology after undergoing various testing and feedback.
The resulting technology is highly suggested by the community and provides a sense of reliability.
6. Cost-Effective
Proprietary software can cost you too much considering how complex and integrated you want the result to be. One of the advantages of open-source technology is that it is economical.
Being a cost-effective option keeps you away from any license or maintenance fees. However, the only drawback to it is the time that it takes for locating, setting, and customizing the software according to your needs.
7. Community Support
When we talk about getting support, you would be amazed by the level of support you can get with open-source technologies. There are chances that the issue you addressed might be discovered and solved by others.
For programmers, you can get various documentation on plenty of topics. Also, you can get one-to-one support which involves communicating with world-class developers to get solutions for the issues you addressed.
Open Source Technologies That Changed the World
Open-source technology has been in the technology industry for quite a time now. In earlier days of software development, the code was shared amongst programmers such that they could advance the sector.
Overall, the tech world would be much different without any open-source technology. Here is a list of some open-source technologies that changed the world from the core!
1. WordPress
It is one of the most popular CMS that is based on open-source fundamentals. The term that WordPress is an open-sourced software means that anyone can modify the code and create additional plugins.
The plugins are responsible for managing SEO, security, analytics, and e-commerce functionalities. All the WordPress plugins are open-sourced, which means anyone can create plugins according to their site’s functionality.
2. Linux
Today, Linux is one of the most popular operating systems in the world. Almost 97% of the world’s fastest computers are based on Linux. Also, 72% of tablets and mobiles are Linux based.
Linux contributed to the open-source community, and all the credit goes to its early adoption and ease of use on the modern internet. It offers amazing features and functionalities such as stability, standardization, and security. All that wouldn’t be possible without the open-source origins of Linux.
3. Android
One of the primary reasons why Android is so popular is due to its open-source technology. It has enabled the operating system to thrive in a competitive smartphone market.
Without this open-source software, the smartphone market would have been different today. Android leads the market today, and one of the reasons behind this is an open-source technology.
Conclusion
Open-source technology is slowly and gradually becoming the most preferred type of technology being adopted by organizations.
The importance of open source technology isn’t only limited to being a cost-effective option for your company or organization, but it also offers the advantages that were earlier available to the ones using proprietary technologies.
Open source offers an individual various benefits, some of which we have explained above in the blog.
It is always recommended that you go through each of the aspects to get a better understanding before you decide if you want to go for an open-source technology or a proprietary one.
We hope that this blog would have helped you achieve understanding to a certain extent. If you need more help from our end, reach out to us in the comments section. We’ll be happy to guide you along the way!
