Re: OpenSource vs. Commercial



> What would you choose?
> A) The Open Source project (free with source code), or
> B) not-so-expensive commercial product (also with full source code)?

I generally lean strongly towards commercial components, but also happily
use some well-recognised and highly reputable freeware products, eg
InnoSetup.

I think the main thing with OSS is knowing it has a strong team and support
base, that quality people are motivated to continue to develop it.

The same applies with commercial, but generally the vendors are motivated to
stick around and make more money.

I think I'd generally be less enthusiastic about an open source product from
a single person as compared to OSS with a motivated base of users and
developers.

It's hard to answer the question in the abstract. The best answer is
probably 'it depends'.

Lauchlan M



.



Relevant Pages

  • Re: Whats the story with the "end of XP"?
    ... You can't call yourself an expert in cryptography without a solid familiarity with some of the most used algorithms and implementations - programs like GPG, OpenSSH and OpenSSL are known to be among the most secure solutions precisely because there are so many interested and capable people who have studied their source code. ... There is overwhelming statistical evidence that serious flaws in major open source software projects are fixed quickly - generally far faster than in comparable closed source projects. ... And there are people who feel that anyone can use whatever license they want, but that they personally will only use FOSS. ...
    (comp.arch.embedded)
  • FLOSS for e-learning
    ... participants as documentation on the issues and concerns related to the ... Free and Open Source Software for e-learning ... Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has become an international ... Access to the source code is a precondition for this; ...
    (comp.os.linux.announce)
  • Re: PHP Classes suggestions (was Re: Recommendations for PHP Form Validation Script)
    ... > particular format is going to add anything meaningful. ... > dependency tree system with multiple possible package branches. ... > Well, this can happen to anyone, whether your project/service is open source ... so I will not Open the Source code of the site. ...
    (comp.lang.php)
  • Re: I was told that "I dont understand how Open Source works."
    ... Proper support from somebody who knows the product is as vital ... > under Open Source as anywhere else. ... and use that source code to create what they need, ... also means that releasing the source code is easier for the author ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: legal Q about masm
    ... If phrased as "open source" then we're NOT ... "open source" licence from the MIT licence to the BSD licence and such ... DOMAIN_, where it's released as "source code", also count as "open source"? ... of libraries (or, at least, you can create the libraries but you can't ...
    (alt.lang.asm)