Discussion on:

10 things you should know about open source before you use it

Is this the future of the software?

Many will downplay opensource software simply because they use this as a selling point for proprietary systems, i.e. proprietary CMS vs. Joomla and such. Proprietary doesn't mean better. It certainly can be better, but closed source coding is no guarantee of quality and performance. Often you have more pre-deployment intel on an open source system than on closed source due to its wide usage. Is open source the only way to go. No. The nature of some software requires extremely high roll out costs, and therefore significant investment. Without the ability to protect that investment and earn a return, such projects would never come to fruition. Conclusion? Proprietary software has its place, but it should earn its place on merit, rather trying to stand on the back of open source software. Don't judge the proverbial book by it's cover, but rather by its content.

Thanks for a great article and topic!
K. Doug Allen
www.anemosgroup.com

Trying to get GLPI and OCSreports to run in a Linux environment can be a trying task. I tried using Ubuntu, Fedora, Centos, Suse, (even a licensed paid for Enterprise version), and finally Windows Server 2003. I spent MONTHS on the open source OS's trying to get everything working properly - I then took my own private copy of Windows server and donated it. I was up and running in about 1/2 hour. Could I have made the Linux versions work? Probably. What did it cost? Easily 1 month of work time or 160 paid man hours - to get a substandard process. While this is NOT true for many things in open source - there are some times that the amount of manhours and ease of installation and configuration where purchasing the software you need actually saves you money over open source.

There should be a point 11. Always try before you buy. This is easy with FLOSS. The first step should be to see if the application is a fit for you and your organization. If it is, then go for it. If not, then keep looking. There are many FLOSS applications and different implementations out there.

I really like the point number 7. You don't have to be an expert to use it (Open Source Software).

Last 1999, I tried to use Slackware. Whoo! It was very hard to install. Then I tried RedHat, at least I was able to install and ran it on our network.

Now, Ubuntu and Open Source applications (Amarok, Rhythmbox Music Player and Brasero), to name a few, they are very easy to use and install! Even a newbie with Open Source can install and use them, if at least he/she knows about computers from the Windows world or Mac.

For me, I'm really enjoying Ubuntu (the latest is 11.04) and the latest open source applications!

God bless Open Source!

This can vary from great to almost non-existent. Some clearly great products have very little in the way of documentation. Why would programmers spend much time to come up with a great product and then keep how it works a secret? Often, but not always, a search on Google for a tutorial will deliver help.