Proprietary vs. Free/Open Source Software by: Brett Rowland

Introduction Definitions, Interdisciplinary Reach, Licensing Models Attributes: Pros and Cons So, what should SAs use???

Definitions Proprietary software: Created by an individual or company for profit; distribution does not include source code, developer has exclusive rights. The purchaser (licensee) is given right to use software, but does not have right to modify or redistribute it. Open source software: Software in which source code is available to end user. Users may (and are encouraged to) modify and redistribute software. Software is essentially free - support may not be free. Some restrictions may apply… prices and participation may vary…

Interdisciplinary Reach This fight between proprietary vs. open source software challenges many disciplines… Computer Science Academia in general Sociology Psychology Economics Business Legal

Licensing Models Thomas Trappler, Director of UCLA Software Licensing states, “OSS is defined less by what the software does than what the user can do with it. One of the primary things that distinguishes OSS from PS is its licensing model.”

Licensing Models cont. Source code available to all Open Source Proprietary Source code available to all License terms neutral Concise/straightforward license terms, easier compliance Some OSS license incompatibility between different OSS products Source code only available to vendor License terms favor vendor Lengthy/Complex license terms, tracking license compliance can be difficult License terms vary widely between PS vendors

Attributes

Flexibility Customizable, limited only by in-house resources Open Source Proprietary Customizable, limited only by in-house resources Others can help modify, leading to greater good for entire OSS community More choices = more flexibility in software, hardware, and support Typically not too customizable Mature PS products usually include more features Structure products as suites; user content stored in proprietary format, making it difficult to replace the product, which leads to vendor lock-in

Cost No initial license fee External support fees Open Source Proprietary No initial license fee External support fees Introduces competitive market forces leading to lower costs In-house support is required, IT staff must learn about product’s source code Excellent OSS community support Initial license fee Support is included or added with small fee External support only through PS vendor, makes negotiating harder In-house support possible, but more difficult without source code Some community support

Cost cont. Total cost of ownership? Depends who you ask…

Deployment & Maintenance Open Source Proprietary Can sometimes be difficult to deploy Modular; pieces can be switched without whole redesign; only use what you need License management is easy More independence; if software company goes bankrupt, community still has source code Easy to deploy Must get whole “package”; some unused features License management is more difficult; risk of illegal copies and license audits Must rely on single vendor; if company goes bankrupt the user is SOL

Quality OSS development not always well managed Open Source Proprietary OSS development not always well managed Who is accountable for quality? Continually peer- reviewed ITS staff must maintain knowledge of updates and upgrades What version updates are reliable? Managed well by corporate entity Employ numerous developers to look for and fix errors Vendors provide notification of updates and upgrades Vendor is usually the only source to get updates and upgrades for product

Security Open code = problems found and fixed quickly Open Source Proprietary Open code = problems found and fixed quickly Open code = ANYONE can view and look for potential exploits (including malicious attackers) Open code = users can review and determine actual level of security of product prior to adoption Numerous full-time employees working to ensure code is secure Closed code = more difficult for malicious attackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities Closed code = users cannot review and determine actual level of security of product prior to adoption

Other Attributes… Intellectual Property Rights Reliability User Friendliness Innovation Collaboration Competition more…

So, what should SAs use?

Ask yourself… Do certain projects lend themselves to OSS? Is there a problem with current software being implemented? Can changes be made (easily)?

Use Both!

References for SAs Google “open source solutions for system administrators” and get lists and reviews of popular OSS SAs use Free and Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning: Systems and Strategies (Dec 2011) Thomas Trappler (licensing)

References http://ballstate.academia.edu/AMiller/Papers/800797/Open_Sourc e_v._Proprietary_Software http://www.idea.org/blog/2011/07/22/open-source-vs- proprietary-software/ http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuart erlyMagazineVolum/IsThereSuchaThingasFreeSoftwar/174575 http://www.netc.org/openoptions/pros_cons/comparing.html http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=443040 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=588763 http://oxrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/2/248.short http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9789275-16.html http://coppola.rsmart.com/2010/08/12/apples-oranges-and-open- source/