Benefits of co-existing open source & commercial software
In the world of software development the many debates about the benefits of open source versus commercial software continue, with developers, software manufacturers, users and purchasers all putting forward differing opinions and, sometimes, protecting vested interests.
However, as with most things in life, the argument is not black or white but has many shades of grey. Different models and arrangements mean that open source software may be available without license cost or as part of a larger commercial framework offering with a separate licensing scheme.
But the two approaches are not mutually exclusive - in many cases not only can commercial and open source offerings comfortably co-exist, but they actually strengthen both the product offering and the community to which the system designer can turn for support.
Growth of Open Source
Since its inception and promotion under the banner of the ‘free software movement’ in the 1980s the use of open source software (the more corporate-friendly term by which it became known in the 1990s) has grown rapidly.
Typically covered by licensing arrangements that permit the inspection, modification, improvement and distribution of the source code, open source software (OSS) can now be found in applications ranging from industrial machines to medical equipment and from consumer electronics to defense systems.
Among the various benefits stated for using OSS are cost (it is typically available for free), flexibility of deployment and lack of reliance on a single vendor.
Counter points from the proprietary community also focus on cost (one argument being that the need for organizations to invest in technical expertise and/or long-term technical support mean that deploying an OSS is rarely free).
Without a commercial development and support effort, an organization might end up maintaining the whole OSS product itself, which could be more expensive than a proprietary approach in the long term. Lack of documentation and copyright and trademark protection risks of using open software are also regularly raised.
However, for most of the exponents of OSS, by far the largest advantage is the support of (often passionate) communities whose aim is to work together to continually improve the quality, performance, reliability and flexibility of their chosen product.
These communities not only work as technical consultants for the software, they also provide code contributions, are vocal ambassadors for the brand and educate valuable young talent to create the product and new technology in general.
Our experience is that commercial companies and open source developers can form highly beneficial, symbiotic relationships that enable users to have the best of both worlds, provided that both sides are committed to a long term relationship, and are open about their goals.
Companies can be contributors to open source software projects, just like volunteers, but their contributions are usually of a different kind. The contributions needed by the projects can generally be categorized into time, money and expertise.
It is easier for companies to contribute financially, and to contribute expertise of a different kind than volunteers. The more complementary these contributions are to those of the volunteers, the more the OSS product benefits from this kind of cooperation.
No discussion of this type would be complete without at least a brief mention of the various software licensing options available to developers.
True open source software, for example, is generally governed by a general public license (GPL) in which the source code and modifications must be shared with the ultimate user. The software can be sold but is usually available without a license fee. Support (if needed) is purchased separately and software deployment is royalty-free.
Canonical, for example, operates a business of this type supporting the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution. A commercial software license on the other hand typically incurs a fee and there is no obligation to share source code. As a result it allows users to develop proprietary applications and charge for runtime licenses. Commercial licenses also almost always come with some level of support.
There is also a third license category known as LGPL (lesser general public license). This is similar to the GPL license in that the source code for the software and all its derivatives cannot be hidden from the public but with a subtle distinction that the software can be used to create proprietary applications.
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