e-skills UK Guide

Open source software

What is free, low cost or open source software?

Not all software needs to be purchased from mainstream providers. In many cases it is available at no or low cost from many other suppliers.

For the business person this can be useful as alternatives to mainstream business software such as word processors, spreadsheets and operating systems can now be found in cheaper varieties. These products are often free or very low cost compared to their mainstream competitors and often provide as much functionality as is required for an average user.

By using free or low cost software you will be able to save money on your software purchase costs.

Proprietary software

The most well known mainstream business software package is Microsoft Office. It contains a variety of products including a word processor (Word) and a spreadsheet (Excel). Microsoft Office is referred to as a proprietary solution as Microsoft have complete ownership of the software code that makes the products work and are paid by end users licensing the software.

Most organisations use Microsoft Office products in their day to day activities and these products have now become the standard for office productivity software.

This guide explains how you can source reputable proprietary software in more detail:

Software Licensing and the Law

Open source software

Open source software is software that has normally been designed by a number of people in an open and collaborative manner. Details of how the software actually works (called the program’s code) are freely available and anyone with the necessary skills can make changes to this code to enhance a product’s functionality. Any changes that are made must be shared with the rest of the open source community.

Freeware and shareware

Freeware and shareware are types of software made available for little or no upfront cost. Freeware is generally free, but shareware authors often expect some form of contribution for use of their software. This is often on an honour system, with the software author making a request pop up on the screen when the software is used requesting payment.

Care needs to be taken with software sourced on the freeware or shareware marketplace. A lot of these applications can contain software (malware) that can damage IT systems or act as a conduit to steal personal information.

In reality most freeware and shareware programs are small utilities rather than complex business oriented programs. On this basis there is probably little value they can offer most businesses.

What are the benefits of low cost or free of charge software?

The first and most obvious benefit is the cost saving. Mainstream office products cost anywhere from £75 through to £650 depending on what product combinations you are purchasing.

Open source office products have matured considerably over the past few years and are now able to offer users almost all of the functionality they need to carry out their day to day tasks. The look and feel of the software is similar to their mainstream competitors and there is a fairly large support network of books and guides available to help get users up to speed.

Operating systems are also available in an open source format. The most commonly used open source operating system is probably Linux which is now found on many devices from mobile phones through to supercomputers. For the business person there are varieties of this operating system that support a graphical user interface and enable all of the familiar point/click/drag/drop movements with a mouse pointer.  

More technical users appreciate open source software as it enables them to examine the details of the software for bugs or security problems, something which may be difficult or illegal with proprietary software.

What are the drawbacks of low cost or free of charge software?

Quality control may be an issue with software that has been developed by many loosely organised individuals in the open source model. Post –sales technical support may also be more ad hoc than via software purchased from mainstream proprietary suppliers. The non-standard nature of some of the software may confuse users used to more conventional word processing or spreadsheet applications.

Any changes to the software code in an open source product need to be shared with the wider community. Therefore some organisations prefer not to use it as their competitive advantage may be lost if they develop some special features that must then be shared with possible competitors.
 
Open source software attracts a significant following in the computer industry and many advocates have a very strong and vocal belief in the open source software model. This is something to be aware of when considering such investments as inevitably these views will influence the advice you receive.

For a small business that is trying to establish itself and deal with the challenges of sales, marketing and product development they will need IT systems to work out of the box. Non-technical users may find the setup and configuration of non-proprietary systems more of a burden than if they had installed comparable proprietary software.

Further information

Further details on free, low cost or open source software can be found here:

Open Office

Star Office (a proprietary version of Open Office)

Google Pack

Desktop Linux