20 years of open source: 9 reasons for free source code

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Open Source Initiative, or OSI. Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond founded the organization in February 1998, and their ideas have since gone mainstream. Wire CTO/COO and co-founder Alan Duric thinks highly of open source and explains why free source code is the competitive advantage of the future.

Open source software is no longer the domain of IT nerds. (Photo by Chris Ried on Unsplash)

Open innovation instead of closed software development - that will be the motto in the future. An EU-initiated Study confirmed that open source software is an innovation driver and promises economic success. Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Amazon have also recognized the trend and released parts of their source code. Success stories such as Firefox or OpenOffice.org have already shown in the past that open source projects can prevail.

Nine reasons for open source

Decision-makers should be aware of the following nine reasons for free source code:

  1. Motivation and productivityWith open source, direct contact with the community is particularly motivating. Developers receive direct feedback from other developers. This in turn increases the motivation to design and develop an optimal product in the end.
  2. QualitySince the lines of code are visible to everyone, open source developers must meet high quality standards. Before the community gets to see the code, it must go through extensive review processes, especially for updates or bug fixes. In this way, the code is cleaner and easier to understand. In addition, the documentation of open source projects is a great advantage. For the further development of a software, this retrievable change hierarchy helps to maintain the quality standard.
  3. Safety: Once the source code is released, external developers are given the opportunity to commit to the code. Often, IT professionals focus on the issue of data protection and security. For example, if source code backdoors and other potential security vulnerabilities are identified, they can be noted and fixed. In addition, the software can be quickly and easily made available for independent audits, which in turn increases trust in the software.
  4. Transparency: One point that the community should be aware of at all times is data processing. In open source projects, they are informed about what happens to their own transmitted data - whether interfaces for third parties were deliberately implemented, for example. On the other hand, users can see whether their own, sensitive data is protected by means of encryption mechanisms. This, too, significantly increases trust in the software.
  5. Flexibility: The areas of Big Data, Internet of Things and Co. are characterized by ongoing changes and provide new impetus in IT. Based on current developments in the technology scene and feedback from the community, software manufacturers can react accordingly and make changes to the code. The advantage of this is that continuous updates improve the software and take user interests into account.
  6. Democratization: Open source code is deliberately intended to provide a basis for discussion, so that existing functionalities are questioned or product updates are encouraged. This is because the software can be optimized on the basis of requested additional functions or comments on programming languages used. IT professionals are free to comment on, share and edit the source code. The democratization of source code means passing on knowledge on the one hand and debating technologies on the other. In this respect, experience and feedback have far more influence on the digital scene than just for a single software project.
  7. Cost Efficiency: Open source software is more powerful and scalable than its proprietary counterpart. Another advantage is that there are no licensing fees when implementing additional open source software, such as the Apache HTTP Server. In addition, external developers from the community can easily contribute code to a project, often free of charge. By the way: Some IT professionals use their involvement in open source projects in their CVs and in this way underline their attractiveness for employers.
  8. Durability: Since the code is available online on platforms such as GitHub, GitLab or Launchpad is available, it can be viewed over a long period of time. In this way, even deleted lines of code are preserved and fully documented.
  9. IndependenceA major advantage is that companies employ their own team of developers and are not dependent on software providers. The company's own specialist know-how is also expanded to include that of the expert network. Online services that publish their source code consequently benefit from a symbiosis of internal and external knowledge and are thus independent.

Conclusion: Free source code for competitive advantage

Before the software project is made available to the public, many internal reviews are necessary and the code should be checked for security. In addition, the community should be given the opportunity to provide feedback - whether positive or negative. But besides transparency, there are of course other reasons to rely on open source. Many companies share the success of other software developers in this way, because other companies face the same challenges. Collaboration always enables source code optimization, adaptation based on user interests, bug reporting, or even completely new product features. Community interaction and technical exchange are therefore the biggest advantages of open source projects. In a world in which services with similar feature portfolios compete for user favor, transparency, trust, and the ability to innovate are crucial above all in order to survive the competition.

 

About the Author: Alan Duric is CTO/COO and board member of the Messenger Wire, and is responsible for the fortunes of an ambitious, international team in Berlin. In addition, he acts as a consultant for a number of technology startups, contributing his years of experience in the areas of open source, VoIP, IT security and software architecture.

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