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The Advantages of Open Source Software - Online Term Paper

The Advantages of Open Source Software

"Open Source Software is primarily defined as software which is freely redistributable and includes the source code" (Varner, 1999). Open-source software may be seen as the opposite of proprietary software in which the end product is binary only. The idea of open source is not a new one. "The progress of science over half a millennium has been founded upon the notion of "open source"--a model in which the brightest minds contribute their work to the community for the betterment of humankind. Scientists across all major disciplines publish their insights in the public domain, climbing upon the shoulders of others and enabling others to climb upon theirs" (Firmage, 2003). The beginnings of ...

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and BIND, which in 2000 was estimated to providing 95% of all reverse DNS lookups (Wheeler, 2003). Given this background into the idea of open source and its related software, this paper intends to highlight some of the advantages to developing open source software and the advantages for a business to consider using it.
As a software developer, there are some advantages to developing software in an open source format as opposed to a proprietary, closed source format. First, the ability to view, modify and contribute to currently available open source software is a major advantage. "It enables the unlimited tuning and improvement of a software product. It also makes it possible to port the code to new hardware, to adapt it to changing conditions, and to reach a detailed understanding of how the system works" (Gonzalez-Barahona, 2000). Secondly, the ability for source code being developed to be audited for bugs, security holes, and inefficiencies by anyone with access to the code ...

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The Advantages of Open Source Software. (2011, March 21). Retrieved January 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Advantages-of-Open-Source-Software/96500

"The Advantages of Open Source Software." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Advantages-of-Open-Source-Software/96500>

"The Advantages of Open Source Software." Essayworld.com. March 21, 2011. Accessed January 22, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Advantages-of-Open-Source-Software/96500.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/21/2011 08:29:12 PM
Submitted By: lilaan
Category: Computers
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 973
Pages: 4

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