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Firstly, we will discuss the basic difference between the closed source software
and an open source software.
In Closed Source model, you can use a program the way the vendor has intended
you to use it. You can't make changes to it, such as fixing a security glitch if
you notice one or tweak it to suit the changes in your business.
while in open source approach, the programmer gives out the source code if his
program, so that you can see the architecture of the program and copy it or make
changes to it if you want. this way you have more control over the software that
you run.
To compare the OS from Microsoft
with the OS from Open Source S/W, following points can be taken into
consideration :
1. Pricing Issue :
Total cost of ownership [TCO] of a business which includes ensuring regular
updates, looking into vulnerabilities and security issues and cost of support
and maintenance, amongst others.
With open source approach and
since distributions of Linux will always cost considerably less, it's market
share will continue to grow. For corporate, the TCO of ownership is much less
than owning an all Microsoft Office or MS- Windows.
2. Free or Low - cost software :
Most of the open source operating
system software like Linux, Free BSD are usually free or comes at a very low
cost, in distribution with Books, Magazines or we can download it from internet
also.
But in case of MS-Windows, you
need to purchase a legal licensed copy for every client PC.
3. No Extra Licensing Costs :
Microsoft Software have very
strict licensing terms, commonly charging on per client basis.
For ex: when you buy a proprietary
server OS for your server with many clients, you pay for each client that will
access it.
Open Source Licenses like GPL [
General Public License ] specifically allow for the modification of a program
for your business purposes or for improving the software from it's present
state. Under the Open Source Scheme, there is no concept of "Number of client
licenses" for a server or licensing of s/w based on no. of CPU's or the no. of
installed systems.
4. No Upgrade Costs :
Microsoft always releases frequent
upgrades to their existing products along with the gradual withdrawal of support
for the previous versions. This often results in catch-22 situation for the
user, means if you continue with the earlier version, you will not get any
support, while if you upgrade , you'll have to pay software cost & license
fee on a per client basis all over again.
in case of open source s/w, there
is no need of often upgradation, and if there is, then the cost of upgrades is
negligible when compared to that of MS-Windows and is often covered in an annual
subscription fees.
5. Stability & Security :
In case of MS-Windows project, only a
particular team works on security aspects. in such case, if a user files a bug
report, it's upto the Microsoft to decide of and when he wants to fix it.
while in open source OS like
Linux, the code is open to the scrutiny of a vast community of developers.
so chances of someone identifying and fixing bugs are much much higher than in
Windows... For most backend jobs like Firewalls, gateway, proxy, etc. there is
no need of latest software. so open source software can be deployed on older
machines.
6. Customization :
In open source s/w [Linux], you
can modify code according with organization's needs and applications and if you
give the modified code out, you may also end up contributing to the improvement
of the program.
But this is not the case in
MS-Windows, because the source code of windows is closed.
There is no doubt that Microsoft
policies have been aimed at making windows the most popular OS, specifically for
the home PC market. in reality, the fact that windows is extremely user friendly
has made the PC a very effective and popular tool in virtually every industry.
One of the keys to the success of
the Microsoft and DOS or the Windows OS has been it's secrecy; if they had made
the source open, they would have never grown to this extent.
Therefore, when users are able to
overcome their fears with respect to mystery of unknown, they will discover a
whole world outside Microsoft Windows.
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