Open Source Software (OSS) defenders are angry. Consumers are confused. Lawsuits are increasing, but aren't the answer. The development, marketing and usage of Open Source Software has become more complex over the past several years. I'm an advocate of OSS, but even I have fallen victim to laziness and lack of education when it comes to following the rules of use. This is such an enormous issue, and I will be the first to admit I don't know all the legalities, but wanted to share my experiences using OSS.Why Open Source Software Is Appealing
I could start a list that would go on for several pages as to why OSS is appealing to me. Many advocates like the freedom OSS gives them. The ability to use, and modify software, to work how they want. There are die hards and casual users. And that really presents the problem. The appeal of free software overshadows the rules you are supposed to follow.
Why is Open Source Software Freely Available?
A question I get asked a lot is why anyone would develop free software. My first answer is, it really isn't free, it's just freely available. I'm giving you, the user, the right to use my software. But you don't own it, and there are some restrictions.
Perpetuating The Free Software Misconception
Some time back I was attending a small presentation with other entrepreneurs. One well respected person got up in front of the group and presented their view on how to get bootstrap businesses off the ground fast. The first thing they recommended was to outsource all the software development to a third world country, because it's basically a commodity. The other was to use open source software, because it's free.
Wrong on both accounts. Software development isn't a commodity, and that view, by someone building a technology company, shows me they have little respect for what they are selling. And I in turn could not respect a company who thought so little of the people building your product.
The other issue is that open source software is free. The fact of the matter is most OSS have a restriction on commercial use. Yes, that would be using OSS to run your business website could potentially violating the licensing of the software.
Why I Like Open Source Software
I'm all about reuse and not re-inventing the wheel. In software development, if I can use some existing code, follow it's usage rules, I can get things done faster. Open source software sometimes gives me the base for building something. I like the ability to add, enhance or remove features that I need to solve a problem. And that means cheaper for the customer. But I really have to try hard to follow the rules of use because I sometimes overlook the importance of following them.
Giving back to the community is another aspect of OSS that is commonly overlooked. If we always take and never give back, we have only ourselves to blame when projects fail, or contributors never get around to implementing new features. The greatest support you can give a piece of OSS is contributing to the project. That's a great form of payment. Money is good too in the form of donations, but most projects just need fingers on the keyboard.
There are a number of OSS licensing, distribution and ownership rules. Too many, and too complex to cover in this post, but I will follow up with some pointers, ideas, and best use for typical open source software.
To learn more about OSS and how you can keep from running into potential problems, visit this Wikipedia article.
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