Open Source for You?

Are open source software Solutions for my business?

If you haven't heard yet, there is a lot of talk in the IT industry
about open source software. You may have heard of some of them: Linux,
Open Office, ClamAV, MySQL, Firefox, and SpamAssassin.

What is open source software? It is software developed by communities
and the license requires that the source code be freely available and
that any changes be returned to the community. There is no charge for
using open source software released under the GNU licenses. Now, like
me, you probably get started down that path of "You get what you pay
for..." Well, you keep in mind these communities are composed of
volunteers who love programming, and also company partners and
their in-house developers. Corporate Partners like IBM, Novell,
and Sun are throwing their power behind open source software movement.

What does Open Source Software mean to you? Well, the source code is
open. Which means all the geeks of the world can read through it to
find errors, fix errors, and expose security risks. It is subject to
more peer review than most closed source products. Nothing is hidden
for those who care to examine it. And any code problems are fixable for
those who care to invest the time to fix it.

But most importantly, it affects your bottom line. It does not have
traditional licensing costs. Just traditional support and media costs.
If there are open source products that fit your needs, then your
business can line up for the savings.

Another open source bonus is that it relies on you local talent pool to
help you implement it. So your business dollar can remain in you local
economy. Not shipped off to another state to enhance their economy. In
the long run, this means there is enough business to keep you local
talent, well, local.