Comments on: Open Source vs. Closed Source http://www.tmprod.com/blog/2008/open-source-vs-closed-source/ Web Development & Internet Marketing Blog Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:20:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dean http://www.tmprod.com/blog/2008/open-source-vs-closed-source/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Dean Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:14:33 +0000 http://www.tmprod.com/blog/?p=12#comment-3 Hi DK, I'm certain that Eric will have a follow up response to your comment as well, but I wanted to respond to your comment too. First of all, this is a very insightful view into the world of software development. Closed source products do tend to be more usable to the general user. They are well thought out and millions of dollars are typically invested to make them usable. We use closed source software such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop almost every day. Open source software, however, tends to be much more stable and secure than its closed source brethren, particularly in the case of web based or specific open source software, as opposed to desktop software. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up my copy of Photoshop for a copy of Gimp. But open source software has some specific advantages in the online world, and sometimes in the desktop world. Open source software isn't developed by a single organization. Typically, at least the good stuff, is built by hundreds, if not thousands of independent programmers from all over the world. Why does this matter? Because when there is a security hole, or something breaks…it gets fixed, usually in the same day because hundreds or thousands of programmers have a vested interest in the software. The glitch doesn't have to go through red tape, memos and "decision makers" to get fixed. Take Internet Explorer vs. Firefox for example. IE is broke, always has been and probably always will be. It's been built by the most powerful and arguably the largest closed source monopoly, I mean company, in the world. They can't get it right. Firefox is built and tested by some of the best programmers and hackers in the world. When it breaks, they usually find the hole before the general public does and they fix it and update the software AUTOMATICALLY. Wordpress is just awesome….as are several other open source pieces of software. Other open source software such as OSCommmerce, Magento and Pidgin are much the same. They are great pieces of software and are unparalleled by anything that Adobe, Microsoft, et al. could possibly produce and they are more secure than 10,000 cookie cutter programmers in the Silicon Valley could hope for. When it comes down to it, programmers are programmers. They build (typically) what they're told to build or build to make sure that a certain level of functionality in intact. Open source programmers don't typically have an endless stream of venture capitalists and a bank account to substantiate in depth beta testing and feature research. But they do make some phenomenal pieces of software, both open and closed source, with the right end user feedback. It would be great if companies such as Microsoft, with more money than God, would help support more open source projects…don't you think??!?! Then we could have the best of both worlds. Just imagine if Microsoft got some some open source developers to help secure Internet Explorer or make it understand and render some type of web standard other than their own. :) Hi DK,

I’m certain that Eric will have a follow up response to your comment as well, but I wanted to respond to your comment too.

First of all, this is a very insightful view into the world of software development. Closed source products do tend to be more usable to the general user. They are well thought out and millions of dollars are typically invested to make them usable. We use closed source software such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop almost every day.

Open source software, however, tends to be much more stable and secure than its closed source brethren, particularly in the case of web based or specific open source software, as opposed to desktop software. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up my copy of Photoshop for a copy of Gimp. But open source software has some specific advantages in the online world, and sometimes in the desktop world.

Open source software isn’t developed by a single organization. Typically, at least the good stuff, is built by hundreds, if not thousands of independent programmers from all over the world. Why does this matter? Because when there is a security hole, or something breaks…it gets fixed, usually in the same day because hundreds or thousands of programmers have a vested interest in the software. The glitch doesn’t have to go through red tape, memos and “decision makers” to get fixed. Take Internet Explorer vs. Firefox for example. IE is broke, always has been and probably always will be. It’s been built by the most powerful and arguably the largest closed source monopoly, I mean company, in the world. They can’t get it right.

Firefox is built and tested by some of the best programmers and hackers in the world. When it breaks, they usually find the hole before the general public does and they fix it and update the software AUTOMATICALLY. WordPress is just awesome….as are several other open source pieces of software.

Other open source software such as OSCommmerce, Magento and Pidgin are much the same. They are great pieces of software and are unparalleled by anything that Adobe, Microsoft, et al. could possibly produce and they are more secure than 10,000 cookie cutter programmers in the Silicon Valley could hope for.

When it comes down to it, programmers are programmers. They build (typically) what they’re told to build or build to make sure that a certain level of functionality in intact. Open source programmers don’t typically have an endless stream of venture capitalists and a bank account to substantiate in depth beta testing and feature research. But they do make some phenomenal pieces of software, both open and closed source, with the right end user feedback.

It would be great if companies such as Microsoft, with more money than God, would help support more open source projects…don’t you think??!?! Then we could have the best of both worlds. Just imagine if Microsoft got some some open source developers to help secure Internet Explorer or make it understand and render some type of web standard other than their own. :)

]]> By: DK http://www.tmprod.com/blog/2008/open-source-vs-closed-source/comment-page-1/#comment-2 DK Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:12:54 +0000 http://www.tmprod.com/blog/?p=12#comment-2 I think both have a place. I personally generally prefer closed source - and the main reason is usability. Closed source projects are generally commercial ventures, and commercial companies tend to put more effort into making a product usable in my opinion.. They often have whole departments of non-programmers just to dream up how the software SHOULD work, usually to the annoyance of the programmers since they mostly just care about functionality. Whereas typically open source software are just work that a programmer wants to do, and the little details get left out and as long as it basically functions they move on to the next function, even if it functions poorly :). I have noticed this seems to be true even with the smallest commercial software companies. I think both have a place. I personally generally prefer closed source – and the main reason is usability.
Closed source projects are generally commercial ventures, and commercial companies tend to put more effort into making a product usable in my opinion..
They often have whole departments of non-programmers just to dream up how the software SHOULD work, usually to the annoyance of the programmers since they mostly just care about functionality.
Whereas typically open source software are just work that a programmer wants to do, and the little details get left out and as long as it basically functions they move on to the next function, even if it functions poorly :) . I have noticed this seems to be true even with the smallest commercial software companies.

]]>