4 Reasons to Use Open Source Software for your Business and Yourself

Most popular computer programs have free alternatives. Switching to these free programs could save you some dough and give you earlier access to new features.

Open source software is licensed so that its code can be used in other applications without legal violations. This creates an ideal environment for creativity, innovation and improvement in software development. However, many of the most widely used software programs are proprietary (not open source). There are a number of potential benefits to using (or switching to) open source software over proprietary options.

1. Cost

Most (not all) open source software is free. Even the software that is not free is still under an open source license so you can use the code at no cost. Bottom line, switching to free software can save you some serious cash. Annual licenses for popular software packages cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Now multiply this by the number of licenses required for a business, or scale it up to an enterprise license, and that’s a pretty penny. Depending on your business’s software needs, switching to free, open source options could really open up your budget. Just imagine how much free software programs could be improved if each company that dropped their software licenses in favor of open source invested a portion of their saved license fees to improving the open source programs.

2. Many Proprietary Programs Use Open Source Code

That’s right. There’s a good chance the company you pay for a software license is using open source code in their programs. Because so many programs rely on open source resources, open source programs and code are generally very high quality. Sometimes you get more than you pay for.

3. Updates

As a result of so many programs relying on open source code/software, the open source products are updated frequently to add new features and fix bugs. A prime example is QGIS, a mapping alternative to ESRI’s ArcMap/ArcPro. ESRI rolls out updates to their software about once a year. QGIS releases a new software version every two months. On a similar note, Microsoft releases a new versions of their Office suite approximately every three years. Libre Office (a free, open source alternative to MS Office) pushes out three or more versions every year!

4. Critical Mass

As software users start to realize the great products that exist for free, expect to see migration from the proprietary programs that are currently industry standards. Canada is already a large supporter of using and creating open source software, and the government requires that open source software be used, where possible. As more countries adopt similar policies the use of open source software will spread rapidly to businesses and individuals.

Some Open Source Alternatives for Popular Software

• Microsoft Office > Libre Office
• Adobe Illustrator > Inkscape
• Adobe Photoshop > GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
• Adobe Premier > Shotcut
• ArcGIS/ArcPro > QGIS
• SASS/Stata > R
• AutoCAD > SALOME