Why You Should Be Open to "Open Source"

Sometimes you get more than what you pay for. In the case of so-called “open source” software, this is almost always the case, because it’s 100% free.

Older open source offerings were often of, well, questionable quality and usefulness, but the current open source movement has built up enough momentum to produce some killer apps. And when I say killer, I don’t just mean “cool,” I mean they might just be the David to Microsoft’s Goliath.

The Geeky Definitions

Open source means that the geeky computer code (“source”) behind a software program is available for anybody to see (“open”). In most cases, the general public is encouraged to make changes to the code, and then submit them for inclusion in the next finished version of the software. (User-submitted enhancements are reviewed for quality and appropriateness.)

Freeware is software that you can use free of charge. In some cases you have to pay a licence fee if you’re using the software for commercial purposes.

The Reality

Almost all open source software is also freeware. So by doing the math, what you end up with is a software product that has been reviewed and enhanced by potentially thousands of people, provided for the very reasonable price of zero dollars.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? If you’ve ever met a typical computer geek, you can probably see how this scenario could work itself out. Consider Napster, the infamous file-swapping service that got gang-litigated into submission by the RIAA: it was developed by an 18-year-old college drop-out named Shawn Fanning who stayed up for 60 hours straight to solve the puzzle of how to best share music files. Millions of dollars in lost media revenues and dozens of copy-cat programs later, you can truly appreciate the havoc that a single driven geek can wreak upon the digital world. But the whole Napster thing was dodgy from the beginning, because despite what we’d like to think, sharing music the way we’ve been doing it for the past few years is just wrong.

Ed’s Note: That’s for another article, methinks.

Instead of creating the equivalent of digital housebreaking tools, wouldn’t it be nice if some group of driven geeks decided to create something useful? Like a better web browser. Or a cool 3-D animation program that you could use to make your own movies. How about a turbo-charged database system for your small business needs? Heck, why not imagine a replacement for Microsoft Office! Or Microsoft Windows!!!

No problem. In fact, they’re already done. Thousands of geeks from around the world have not only created these programs, they’ve often translated them into Urdu.

The Open Source Alternatives

The web browser is called Firefox. The 3-D software is called Blender 3-D. The database system is MySQL. The Microsoft Office replacement is called OpenOffice. And you’ve probably heard of the Microsoft Windows replacement: Linux.

I know, you skeptical. Skepticism is good. To be fair, these software programs aren’t exact replacements of their most popular counterparts. For example, Firefox has pop-up blocking and advanced privacy controls built in, unlike Internet Explorer. OpenOffice can save files as PDFs, and has some cool autocomplete features that save typing in a really intuitive way; it is lacking Microsoft Word’s mysterious formatting and the oh-so-lovable paperclip that pops up when you least need the distraction. Most of the world’s webservers run Linux because it simply doesn’t crash, but true, it won’t run most Windows-based software programs, but this might be less of a problem than you think.

The Show-Stoppers

In geek-speak, a show-stopper is a bug, or issue, or drawback, that makes a proposed solution useless. In the case of moving to open source software, there are several potential show-stoppers, but they might not be what you imagine.

File Compatibility is not much of an issue anymore. Most open source software actually supports more file formats than the proprietary competition. For example, OpenOffice can read and write Microsoft Office files, in addition to dozens of other formats, including its default XML format that is leading the push towards standardized file formats.

Software Compatibility can be a true show-stopper, but only if you are using some niche products. If you are a typical word processing/emailing/web surfing computer user, you’ll be surprised how happy you can be with an all open source solution. Furthermore, many companies, feeling the tug toward Linux as a potential desktop operating system, are “porting” their software to the Linux platform. Remember: geeks like Linux, so they’re interested in getting their favourite apps to work.

Security isn’t an issue either: hundreds of eyes inspect open source code, so security flaws are found more easily than with proprietary products (which may be reviewed by as few as two or three people before being unleashed on the general public). In addition, because the software is essentially maintained by the users, security flaws are fixed and available to download before Microsoft has finished updating its Security Alert web page.

Support is a huge issue, especially for businesses. “Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft,” is a common mantra in the IT departments of most companies. However, open source software products usually have dozens of related online forums and help web sites that can answer your problem. There are lots of guru geeks who literally have these web sites open all day and leap upon every new question like a dropped gauntlet. But if you need to feel safer than that, many of the popular open source organizations offer paid support packages.

Complexity is only a problem where Linux is concerned. Most open source software installs under Windows with no problems just like any other software, but installing Linux as your operating system is a daunting task for even the most capable 13-year-old, computer-addicted nephew. Your best bet is to try it out on an old machine, using an internet-connected computer as a source for online instructions and downloads.

Training is a real cost to consider if you run a business and are contemplating the move to open source desktops. Users will be flummoxed by the it’s-almost-Windows feel of Linux and the so-close-to-Microsoft interface of OpenOffice. Training costs and/or productivity losses need to be considered. However, depending on how many Windows and Office licences you have to purchase in the near future, your break-even time may be measurable in months.

Email/Calendar/Contacts is one weak spot in the open source world. As much as I hate Microsoft Outlook, there is nothing even approaching its integrated functionality in the open source community. I’m keeping an eye on the situation though, and as soon as I find anything close, I’m making the leap.

Yeah, But Why Bother?

Cost is the easy answer. Open source software is free. Abso-frigging-lutely free. But you didn’t pay for your copy of Microsoft Office, did you? Don’t be shy, you’re in excellent company. People pirate software, so cost is often not an issue.

That Damned Product Activiation from Microsoft, and many other major vendors (whereby you must verify your software with their mother ship or
it stops working), might make the switch your only option. Don’t fret. It’s a blessing in disguise, and funny enough, product activation will probably result in a drop in Microsoft’s market share.

You could claim the moral high ground and say you are supporting the work of a dedicated community of volunteer geeks. You may even choose to volunteer your own time testing beta versions, contributing to the web site, translating their… oh nevermind.

Outrage is also a legitimate reason to switch. Microsoft has applied different forms of pressure on its home and corporate users to spend billions of dollars every couple of years to go through the painful experience of upgrading their Office Suite to the newest version. Companies have to pay not only for the licences, but also for the monstrous planning, “roll-out,” training and technical support costs. Microsoft generates 50% of its annual revenues from Office licences, so it has to keep churning out new versions and pushing clients to upgrade for the “new functionality.” This is ridiculous when you consider that the most important Office component, Word, hasn’t changed significantly in recent memory, unless you consider Clippy the Paperclip and auto-correction that mangles your writing to be paradigms in user interfaces. In fact, the only aspect of Microsoft Office that has noticeably changed is its vulnerability to viruses, which has increased in proportion to its ubiquity.

I’m Still Not Convinced

I know, it’s a potential headache with little upside, right? The nice thing is that there’s no need to quit Microsoft cold-turkey. For example, I’m currently running Internet Explorer and Mozilla. I’ve also got Microsoft Office and OpenOffice installed on my computer. Once I got used to the new programs, I simply changed the file associations to tell my computer to use Mozilla for web pages, and OpenOffice for Microsoft Office files. Over the course of 2 months, I have kicked 2 of the 3 biggest Microsoft habits: web browsing and office suite. I won’t be moving to Linux anytime soon, but that’s only because at the moment I’m developing Windows-based software and I have to run Windows to test it. So there.

Action Plan

Go the Firefox site and install the latest version. Play with it. Try the tabbed browsing. Enjoy the blocked pop-ups and cookie manager. Then go download OpenOffice and install it. Try the built-in PDF exporting. You can even save your files in Microsoft Word format for the poor, unwashed masses.

This is how computer technology is meant to be. Free. Open. Not a mysterious frustration, but a transparent pleasure. Not a risk, but an opportunity. Not Microsoft, but everyone else.

Welcome, pilgrim.