What are open source projects?
In just a simple statement, when a project is open source projects it means anybody is free to see it (disclosed), use it, study it, edit it, and distribute for any purpose. For instance, if a lecturer share a file on a platform like Google sheet. On this platform, students can edit the document and even make copies of their own.
But whenever they do, it have to be approved by the lecturer before reflecting on the file again. That’s how open source code works: once it’s been made public, and there is a need to add a feature or make changes, the owner has to approve the added changes and publish them for others to see. Example of top open source projects are WordPress, Magento, PDF creator, Mozilla Firefox, Gimp etc.
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OptriSpace Team
Most successful open-source projects are a result of contributions from people with all skill levels – and not only coding skills, but also other skills like writing, languages, and so on. Any time someone fixes a typo, adds an alert about a possible compiler warning, fixes a bug, or even adds detailed documentation to a project, progress is made.
Open source programs make it easy for programmers to share their creations with the public at no cost. Anyone can contribute to an open source project by downloading the code and making modifications to it. These modifications are referred to as “patches” and are critical in keeping projects active and functional. All of this work is made much easier with the help of open source, everyone involved has access to the same information, which makes collaboration easy.
Advantages of Open Source Projects
There are a number of advantages to using open source projects in our daily life.
The most obvious advantage is that the open source projects are mostly free and readily available. Anyone with a computer, smartphone or tablet can use without paying a fee. In addition, the source code for these projects is readily available for anyone to inspect and modify to suit their needs. Essentially, anyone with an idea can make that idea a reality by creating an open source project.
Fast security fixes
Open source projects are designed to generate frequent improvements from users, which includes bug and security fixes. Problems will be caught early and fixed fast. This gives open source projects a cybersecurity boost.
Full customization options
Unlike private projects, one can make all desired changes to open source software. If a specific feature doesn’t look good, it can easily be terminated change the way it works.
Extended backwards compatibility
Open source projects developers create programs that work with older hardware and are compatible with older browsers and operating systems. There will come a point at which some outdated hardware or software will be truly incompatible, but it won’t happen as quickly with open source projects.
Frequent updates and patches
As fixes for bugs and security issues are crowd sourced, developers will incorporate these fixes into the core files and issue frequent updates and patches. These frequent releases will also include corrections to typos, graphics, and other minor inconveniences.
Strong support
One of the best thing open source projects will have is a strong online community of workers or developers and users you can go to for support around the clock. Good projects tends to generate a fan base that enjoys spending time voluntarily helping others install, troubleshoot, and use the software.
No subscriptions
Free, open source projects doesn’t require subscription. It won’t require you to maintain a subscription to use the software.
Less cost to maintain
When enterprises build and release their projects as open source they save money and get free ideas for improvements and enhancements. For example, new features and fixes are essentially crowd-sourced and repackaged into the next official release of core files.
Enterprises that require specific custom features can hire a development team to customize open source software to their specifications. For example, if an enterprise downloads a task management suite that doesn’t include a time clock, they can hire a developer to add a time clock feature. These additions always cost less than hiring a development team to create custom software from scratch. Entire teams can use the software.
Disadvantages of Open Source Projects
Like anything, there are downsides to using open source projects, however, it’s not as bad as you might think. Naturally, if you’re dealing with unmaintained open source software that doesn’t get patched or updated, you’re going to have problems. Provided you’re working with professionally developed and supported software, the risks are the same as if you were using proprietary software. Namely, security vulnerabilities.
The main security vulnerability when using any type of software is not updating or patching the software as updates and patches are released. Updates and patches aren’t the same. Updates are fairly easy to install, but patches often require the help of an IT professional.
Unfortunately, organizations skip patch installation when they don’t have the knowledge or IT expert to help, or when they aren’t aware that a patch has been released. To prevent being exploited by hackers, it’s critical to get on the email list for every piece of software you use.
Lack of Security
Open-source projects comes with no claims or legal obligations for security and community support informing you how to implement it securely may be lacking. The developers responsible for creating software are often not security experts and may not understand how to implement best practices.
Most software for open source project includes or requires the use of third-party libraries, pulled in from package managers without inspection. The black-box nature of these libraries makes it more difficult and time-consuming to identify and patch any vulnerabilities they might inject.
Hidden costs
Many people assume that software use in open source projects is free. However, whilst open source software is usually free to acquire, there are many other associated costs involved in using open source software which many people fail to consider before implementation. Additional costs of open source software may include: additional hardware required, installation, training, customization.
No guaranteed support
Some open source projects don’t have strong support. Sometimes there’s a community, but it’s been inactive for a while. The level of support available depends on the developers and their commitment to the project. You might find amazing software only to discover it hasn’t been updated in over a year and there’s no community support. The reason a project lacks support can be anything from a failed project to developers who lost interest. Many projects are abandoned when developers disagree on where to take a project.
Usability
Whilst some open source software is easy to use, many programme are created to meet the needs of the developer, without considering usability. This can make open source software difficult to use, especially for those who aren’t tech-savvy.
If an application is difficult to use, it may impact on productivity, as staff are reluctant to adopt the technology or struggle to use the software. This means that you may need to train your employees to use the software effectively.
Conclusion
Many companies benefit as open-source projects and there is no reason this shouldn’t be. However, knowing the risks posed as open-source projects – going into the development process will help to avoid pitfalls associated with sharing crowd-sourced code.
By taking into account the risks outlined in this article and implementing protection strategies, in addition to others as required to ensure secure systems. As with every decision you make, before deciding between open source and closed source projects, it’s important to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of each option. This will enable you to make an informed decision that is right.
Author: Prime Calu
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