The Future of Software is Open Source

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Chris PirilloThe Future of Software is Open SourceYou are an absolute fool to believe that the future of software is anything but open. Are we there now? Obviously not… but in good time, proprietary software will become a thing of the past. That’s a pretty bold statement, yes. But, watch the

Leestips RSSThe Future of Software is Open Source ~ Chris PirilloStarting with CSS and bug fixing tips | Veerle’s blog Debugging CSS in Internet Explorer – Part 1 | iBloom Studios Add a new WordPress backup schedule with WP-Crontrol « scompt.com Stu Nicholls | CSSplay | Experiments with cascading style sheets |

What’s the point in having free Software and not have it be open? That just seams pointless.

I think do not think that open source software should be the way of the future for all of the software. Sometimes open source is not the answer just look at what has recently happened with pidgin (my windows IM client of choice) there could be a fork in the pidgin code over one small thing weather the chat window will expand. I think the best way to do something is have a open source project like firefox where there are some people are payed but the software is still open.

I totally agree with you. I think open source is much much better than non open source.

I can immagine it now, but still will the makers still make money off of it?
or will all the software out now become open source and thus all the makers have no way of making money?
makes ya think a little
But yea if yoou know how to work on programs that is a great things, and we have seen how far linux has come and is coming
As far as what operating system to have more open source next i wanna lean towards mac
Microsoft seems to be a little money hungry
any other thoughts?

firefox

I don’t know. I like open source because it’s free (as in free beer). Since I’m not a developer and most people aren’t developers, it would be hard to convice them to use an open source app if it’s not as good as a proprietary app just because of a philosphy. Like, try asking a professional graphic designer to ditch photoshop for the GIMP because it’s the future and software should be open. Good luck with that. People will use the BEST programs on the market, open sourse or otherwise. I use the GIMP because I can’t afford photoshop and won’t steal it. I use Opera because I think it’s better than Firefox. “Open” philosphy doesn’t really affect my choice too much.

Hi Chris
Perhaps the message would have had a bit more impact if it did not list 3 affiliate links for proprietary closed software right after the post.

Open is indeed the future! OpenOffice, Linux, and Firefox are three excellent examples of open-source projects that are growing more and more everyday. The collaborative nature of open-source projects make their communities friendly, their software intuitive, and their audience a large one: anyone can afford free. I use Ubuntu occasionally and I have to say it is great. OpenOffice is included with Ubuntu, and almost anything Microsoft Office can do, OpenOffice can do for free. As for Firefox, I just couldn’t live without it. Firefox allows more control over its settings, has a wide range of add-ons for free, and is free itself. You just can’t lose with open-source.

You’re right. The future is open source. Companies like microsoft, apple and other software devlopers should have more open source aplications. Like if Interbet explorer was open source even more people would use it instead of firefox and other browsers as they can modify it and make their own browser based of internet explorer. Like if I could get the internet explorer source then i would make it more surcure and fix certain bugs that i may come across

Firefox is a wonderful example! One of the world´s best software keeps getting bigger and bigger.

And I´ll liked what you said about that the product is driven by the community. I agree.

People don´t like to pay for their software, and piracy has already proved that!
I´m very excited about the future in software, and how open source software will grow. And what will happen to the others?

I agree with you Chris. Open Source is a great thing. One thing that I thinks is great is Google Docs. It can really help with schools for example. Many many people probably never heard of Open Office for example and might believe that the only Office Suite is Microsoft Office or they think its the best because they see it on the shelves Walmart or Target or what ever other store. Like you said just because its in a box on a store shelf doesn’t make it the best. Back to the school example now…, Students who have a computer at home and a Internet Connection can make a Google Account and use Google Docs. They can log on, type up a paper and when they are finished email the Doc to there teacher or print it at school. It makes very easy. Schools should start considering Google Docs. Open Office can also take that position. People don’t have to spend $120 or more on Microsoft Office. Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office so your Docs will be recognized on a computer with MS Office even though you didn’t make with it. Open Source is a great thing in my opinion and it will get bigger and more used in the future.

YAY i agree so much. I hate when people say “I just spent X amount of excessive money on this at best buy(or the like)” and i say in responce, really I got mine a week ago off so and so site…for free. “blah its not as good i payed way to much money for this” o yeah and mine isn’t just updated when the company feels like it has crappy software mine gets updated Oh whenever i find a flaw or just something that can get improved. al in all open source kicks bootay

Open source is especially great for going to school and being able to access everything you need to.

Ruler of the Internet,

I suppose there are a couple of things that I’d like to mention here.

First of all, after reading your post, it really does seem that the best way to go about producing software is an open-source method. It seems that this will cause most software programs to be more secure and more up-to-date.

Now that said, this seems to really pose a problem for businesses. I mean, how exactly do you profit from your software when you are giving it away for free?

I’m sure that programming hobbyists love open-source programs and I’m very thankful for these hobbyists because they are the ones who are really helping to improve the quality of our software.

But that said, I do feel bad for businesses who now must figure out how to create open-source software and turn a profit from it.

Still learning,
James G.

P.S. I was going to tell you about a great open-source program called Ning that you could add to your site to help build community. So…. I did a Google search to see if it was, in fact, open source. When your blog came up in the search results, I kinda figured that I no longer needed to tell you. :OP

Mozilla Firefox is the best example when it comes to describe open source software. Look at how many times it has been updated. The Mozilla Firefox FTP server (link provided below) has 71 different versions of Mozilla FIrefox that can be downloaded and installed. These versions range from 0.8 all the way up to 3.0 beta 5 and also versions developed specially for partners such as Fujitsu-Siemens, Google, Yahoo, and everyone’s old time favorite Packard Bell.

I have tried to downgrade to a previous version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (getting the install files directly from Microsoft, not some third-party mirror site) and it is near impossible to do without reformatting your hard drive and going with the version that originally came with your operating system. This of course means that Windows XP isn’t capable of running Internet Explorer 5 (not that you would want to) and that Windows Vista isn’t capable of running Internet Explorer 6 (which a lot of people would rather have than Internet Explorer 6).

This is because Microsoft has embedded Internet Explorer into the core setup of the Windows operating system which makes the software proprietary.

I definitely think that software will eventually become all open source. But I don’t think it is ready yet. At least 50% of the software on my computer is open source. But I don wish that there were some products were open source or free, like Adobe Suite CS3. I think that some of the littler apps. will all become open source, but the bigger ones like Adobe Suite will not.

it’s an interesting prospect to bring up that the future of software will be open source. i also seem to recall it being brought up that software would all be put on the internet, rather than downloaded. is open source a stepping stone to internet native applications? or is there a way to get a source code for a web application so that the app can be edited and improved?

I would go beyond that. I would say the present of software is open source. Firefox is the brand new MUST HAVE tool in ANY computer today. When i fix someones computer, i delete the IE desktop icon and replace it with that wonderful fox icon.

I have to agree with you here Chis. I use fire fox strictly -because- it didn’t come from a box. The first thing I do upon booting up a new machine out of the box is to go through and remove all the proprietary software that comes loaded on it (or as much as possible seeing as you can’t remove IE)

One of the best pieces of software I have ever used (andd still use almost daily) is a text reader by the name of Yread2 by SpaceJock software, http://www.spacejock.com Did I get it from a store? Off a shelf? Out of a box? No, I ran a web search for what I needed, and followed the results. I recommend that anyone with visual impairments give it a shot.

Cheers.

yes, open source will hopefully lead the way in the future. Lets just hope that more big companies endorse open source software.

open source software = a happier world for all of us. Developers and users.

I have a few programs that are open source like open office. It’s awesome because I didn’t have to pay for Microsoft office which is like $140.00. I’ve always thought about trying open source OS’s but have always chickened out. I have Firefox too. Not sure if I have any others.

The future is Open Source! So far I have gotten 2 of my friends to switch to Ubuntu Linux, And they love it!

Simply free does not give strong logic about open surce is better than the proprietry applications. Although open source software has created a situation in which copy right applications have to improve their standards in such a way that the user feel satisfaction and more benefits than opensource.

I was very conservative with open source… I had always thought, if its open and free, who’s going to spend money developing it. What about the money for research? Say for photoshop… no one or any small group is gonna come close to a corporation who can spend millions and millions of dollars on research, staffs paid for their talents and productivity… and those corp are definitely not going to release all their secrets to the community as they need to make money out of it to survive. Open source just didn’t seem viable. Well, I thought so many years ago till I got tired IE and tried out Firefox beta (way before v.1)… That’s kind of the initial turning point to my thought. Later, there was Gimp… and open office… I was truly amaze what open source could do and how people would just willingly contributes to make things better and easier for the good of the people of the world… Amazing… To date, there are undeniable better open source softwares than the paid softwares… I have a couple of those, and I know I prefer the open source ones. Thanks to all the kind people who willingly contributes :) Your work will surely live… :)

I think the real key for open source becoming dominant is getting the word out. At present the only ways that people who are less technically inclined start using open source is through accident or word of mouth. The advantage that the proprietary companies have is of advertisement and while there are ads and discussions of open source they live mostly on technically sites that the novice internet user may not find much reason to go to. Until the economic reward are sufficient enough for the developers of open source to risk money in serious and broad advertisements to average users the growth open source will be slowed. Even if ads are never widespread I believe that word of mouth such as this blog/vlog will eventually lead to a much less proprietary software environment.

They’ve been saying open source is the future for years… Only time will tell…

it sound like your repeating your self from a video i saw sometime last year about open source. although with a ever growing community you will all ways need to recap older topics and how they are relevant today. I also found that the only proprietary software i use on my PC are games.

Casual programming i use visual basic express edition its not opensource but it’s free.Image editing I use paint.net
For document editing i use open office and for audio editing I use audacity. Also for my anti virus and backup software are free or opensource. Yeah proprietary companies will soon have to adapt.

I would disagree Chris.

There will be plenty of software that stays closed. for just the reason that you mention “proprietary systems”. Many of my IT clients all use proprietary systems, in one way or another, that is very vital to their daily business. These closed systems are highly customized and written for the very business that run them.

Sure some might start using more open source tools in the backed (mysql databases, open source document standards) But the heart of these proprietary systems will be forever closed source.

Will we start to see open source document editors, or web browsers, even the OS it self. but these are mainstream tools and utilities, that have a LARGE number of people willing to write the code for open source. But these utility program will not make up the majority of cpu cycles that are going to be consumed by your typical office computer.

Isorg

i feel that mac is already open source, it is so customizable that i would be unable to imagine how people could customize it more. I see how linux has changed and how great it has become, and how popular, but i think that the only thing i cant change on a mac is the top information bar.

of couse, you need to download things to make your mac more customizable but still, it is really great to have so much freedom.

It should be open sourced becuase it need to live.

Open source has to exist for software industry to prosper. But IMHO, i believe it’s dangerous to have everything in open source. Imagine if we turn the tables that microsoft is 10% of the market and 90% is open source. Bad (non-ethical) hackers will have a feast day every day coz they have everything and everybody is just there for the taking. Right now microsoft is being attacked everyday by hackers seeking to create havoc to the world. How much more if you will give them the tools at their disposal to easily do those. I think the only reason why open source software is not heavily being attacked is because the impact is totally miniscule, thus reward is small as well. It just makes sense that if you are a bad hacker, you want greater audiencevor victims for your bad code. In a ideal world, if all of us are ethical and everybody behaves properly and honestly as they should be, hey by all means, open source makes total sense. But in reality, that’s hardly the case. There are bad people – bad programmers – all around. It;s like who needs cops if all of us are good people. Think about it.

Hey Chris – Not very related to this topic but I thought it was close – I’ve been using firefox and have gotten tired of the memory leak – I saw your browser video and decided to give maxthon another try and i love it – Thanks alot and love all ur videos – dbman19

I have heard you say this many times. I even have Picasa because I saw you talking about how Poniz likes it. It’s great and it’s free you can’t beat that!

i also believe that the future of technology is open souce but then again i still find myself switching back to software the i have paid just because i know that it is safer and i know what it will and wont do.

I think before too long we will start to see a much broader range of software that is open source. Soon i think all OS’s will become somewhat open source, but not as open as Linux is. Some of the best programs i use are open source, and it definitely is the way of the future.

Open Source is always good for many people, either because its free/low cost or for those who want to improve upon the software in a way the original programmer didn’t probably think of

Saying things like that, Chris will release his own Dragon to you!
BURN!!!!!!!!!

I think that more software should be opensource. Linux operating systens are opensource & look at the massive interest they have, the only thing being is, fo the people developing the software not getting very high wges this way. Although it may be good for the consumer, try thinking about how it may affect the worker’s lifes. on the plus side, it could mean great software for nothing just like the linux community. There are great arguments for & against this subject.

Chris,

Thank you for posting this video! I totally agree with you. I myself am an open-source developer, and I too have noticed more and more people using open-source software. A couple of years ago the majority of people had ever heard of Open Office or even Firefox. Now I know more people who use Firefox than Open Office, and I have noticed that my friends have been using Open Office more and more over IE. This is a huge jump from a couple years ago.

Even Dell is offering computers PRE-LOADED with Ubuntu Linux! Even though these computers are not noticeably cheaper than their counterparts with Vista/XP on them, but eventually they will get there. Look at the killer EEE PC. For $299 you can get a laptop with LINUX on it! Linux! $299 is almost an impulsive buy today.

Even though Open-Source is growing at an exponential rate there are downsides to it. For instance companies such as Apple are necessary to direct the way in which software develops, and then the open-source community can make improvements to that or copy it.

I find it very interesting that you bring up cost. There have been several companies that have made computers for $199 selling them at Wal-Mart pre-loaded with Linux/open-source software. These computers were marketed at low-income families, but all of them failed and were later taken off the shelves. Why did this happen? Was it because people are still afraid of open-source? Or are people ignorant about it? Or is it because people can buy a computer with Windows on it for $300 from Dell?

I honestly do not know. All I know is that open-source is the future of software and big companies such as Microsoft MUST jump on the bandwagon to stay competitive.

That’s my $0.02

I have been a user and supporter of Free, Open Source software for 2.5 years, since I have been using Linux! I believe that free (as defined by Richard Stallman) and open source software is not a fad, but an undeniable future reality!

Foss (Free Open Source Software) has many intrinsic properties! The first being freedom! The second (for the most part), it’s faster development cycle. Next is security and stability (stability is dependent on developer skill and thoughtfulness). FOSS software for the most part is less costly to develop because the software used to develop it (Mostly) is open source as well!

I do not see the “free and open source paradigm” going away! There are too many benefits to reap, and the momentum is almost unstoppable! Not even all mighty Microsoft can slow the steady progression of the FOSS development and deployment! It may seem slow for some projects and at some times, but fast and others! But the undeniable truth is FOSS is here and here to stay!

i think open sorce is good because it’s free, mostly up to date and genraly
is very reliable.

Camstudio is opensource

I like the idea of the community being able to perfect the software WE use but I just see the big companies being stuckup as a reason to doubt everything will be open anytime soon. Although there are some great open source applications out there now :)

Chris, I really agree with you that the future really is Open Source. Basically I’m still more into Microsoft but it’s gone a bit away from Microsoft over time. Such as I only use firefox now and i even stopped using outlook and went over to thunderbird. Thought I use Windows XP Pro, Office 2003, and iTunes as my defaults for everything so i’m not really there yet. Can’t take linux yet.

“Wouldn’t you rather see the community as a whole… those of us who care the most about software… are the ones able to check that the software works the best way it can, instead of some corporation?”

No. I find solace in the fact that people’s jobs depend on releasing a solid product. People who have alot to lose if they fail. Especially when dealing with sensitive or critical data, I can’t put my trust in a bunch of hobbyists.

open source FTW!!!!!!!!!11111oneoneone

With free alternatives to expensive software out there, its no wonder why open source is the way to go. Some people actually prefer open office to Microsoft office. Clearly open source is the way to go. Thanks for the post Chris

Well, I agree with you, Chris. But there’s something that, at least from my prespective, should also be taken into account. While open software is becoming the new trend, and even though there’s plenty of good reasons to opt for open software over proprietary and/or closed software, I do believe that there are some (very few, by the way) software-creating corporations that have done a way better work on developing and pioneering than open-source developers. For example, on your video, you talk about Firefox. Yes, Firefox is an outstanding web browser, being open source, even though Mozilla was shut down. But don’t forget about the Opera browser, child of the old Netscapte Navigator, which was pretty much discontinued a long, long time ago. Opera has always been a pioneer, from tabbed browsing to RSS feeds management and now BitTorrent, it’s always been ahead of the game when it comes down to the features installed in it. It’s free. Not open. But still it has been, since the late ’90s, defining the new standards in web browsing.

Hehe, I’m sorry, I’m just passionate about Opera ^-^ my point is that, as you said when talking about the Office software you installed for your brother, that everyone should try out the new trends and the new software to see what fits their own individual needs. As the philosophy of Ubuntu states, everyone should be free to decide which software to use, and customize or make changes to it as they please to make it suitable for their needs. Whether it’s Open Source or “Closed” software, as long as it suits your needs, it’s worth the ride.

You scare me with thoose intros.

Open source doesn’t mean that YOU can adjust changes to the product, or even get it for free!

all i care about is getting them for free

I can not begin to describe how I feel about open source software… I love it! Firefox happens to be my favorite example of said software, I’ve used Firefox for as long as I can remember and I find myself recommending it to less tech savvy family and friends. I love the idea of open source for the very reasons you outlined, why should I be up a creek if a developer decides they don’t want to work on something anymore!? Most of the coolest apps I’ve come across are open source… don’t get me started. I have been creating icon packages for Windows and various dock programs for a little while and I have no problem giving them to people for free, I don’t even mind if they change them to suit their own tastes… I even include the Photoshop templates to do so. If more people thought along these lines you could only imagine where the online community would go.

firefox is NOT open source…it is freely available but NOT open source

Open source? I’ve been using open source for at least… Well i’ve always used open source. But lately i’ve stopped using commercial products (well, almost stopped – i still use OS 10.4 on my mac). I’ve started realizing, that Microsoft and Apple aren’t the only Operating System manufacturers and Microsoft Office is NOTHING compared to Open Office or Google Docs.
You can do more with less £££. Actually, you can do more without any £££.
This time, last year, i went to the store and bought Vista. Now, I just downloaded Ubuntu 8.04 from it’s official page at ubuntu.com.
And I can truly say, that Ubuntu + Open Office is a much better combination, a better experience, than Microsoft Windows Vista + Microsoft Office was.
But then again I can say, I couldn’t work without Adobe products, their open alternatives aren’t nearly as usable.

HMMMMMMMMMM

I hope that all software becomes open source. The reason for this is because sometimes companies don’t always know what is best for there software and what the consumer wants… there is only one person who does know for certain what the consumer wants, and that is the consumer. It also gives beggining designers a chance to learn about new codes and scripts without having to make their own software before they start.

Of course its open source you can download the source code from Mozilla’s website. Software such as Songbird developed by Pioneers of the Inevitable makes uses of code from firefox

ohh, sorry…I didnt know that the source code is available for firefox…

The future is definitley not open source. For every piece of open source software purchased by a giant, there are dozens of closed software systems bought by for-profit institutions. As much as open source has contributed to a lot of good development, once good software engineers and developers realize the value of what they are doing, there will be an insatiable desire for them to organize and close their best practices. It simply is not worth for an uber talented organization to create open source platforms, especially when the market for software demands the new products on a timely basis.

I really hope you are right Chris. Open Source software allows for so many more opportunities, and flexibility. I believe that every Closed Source program is like a Hat. One Size Fits All. What happens if a program doesn’t something a company needs. If they contact the Company; 9 times out of 10, they will get an automated response. If it is an Open Source product, the company can hire a coder, and edit it as they please.

I worry though, as I would like to be in the field of IT, what will happen to programmers. Will their pay be lower?

Regards,

J

I love just the idea that software will be free. Main reason being, I do NOT like paying for software. Yes, It is bad, but if I can use an alternative, why not.
Linux is getting huge, and I think its time to contribute to it. We all like good software, or at least I know I do. Things that just…Works. OS X is one of them, but I refuse to buy a machine so that I can run a certain OS on it, and that I cannot install that same OS in another machine. Open source is the way to go on OS’s, or so I think.
-Ruben

I love open source software and only feel guilty that I have not gave back enough. Most that I have done is technically assist another user or help spread the good word about good open-source software. I do plan on taking your advice about donating some cash

I think opensource is the future for anyone who cares. Unless we allow corporate interests to restrict it.

Unless your a gamer Ubuntu will do everything you do on Windows and OSX free and generally better. And it’s only going to get better.

WINE at the point where good games like Half-Life 2 will run on the Linux platform with the WINE windows compatibility layer.

Silos which you will never escape? What the heck kind of line is that?

I haven’t done much research but from what I’ve gathered about WINE its not as fast as running Windows for real. For someone like me who wants to spend a lot of money on the best gaming hardware the extra money for windows vista is worth it for hassle free full feature support and I can see the benefits of using a live gamer tag certainly for xbox users.

I will probably just use a copy of Vista however and buy Windows 7. I hope open source game development takes of though. If I had a ton of money I’d make games for all formats with an emphasise that the Linux version provided the premium experience.

Wow! I didn’t know firefox was open source! After using gimp for a long time, I thought i didn’t like open source, but firefox is amazing! I like this

Being a part time linux user, a lot of my software is open source, Firefox, thunderbird, etc. Open source is great in that the code is open to everyone, so that if you have the skills and you have the time, you can lend a hand to the programming teams, and take a little bit off their shoulders. I regularly connect to mozilla’s IRC server and it is excellent to see the amount of people hanging around trying to either help others or make the software better. and to tell the truth I find open source software to work much better than things Microsoft has shipped out as of late.

Well, look linus torwald he made linux just for fun, to show to show his friend what he made, he wanted to get responses from his friends and communicate with them a bit, he didn’t imaged when he build it that it would be that popular as it is, the biggest reason that Linux became popular was because it was Open-source and it was free, it might not be that popular as Windows but people will remember it longer because it is so secure,
hackers and virus-makers create viruses, spywares for Windows because more people use it, more damage that way and more to gain.
Because Linux is open sourced people can change the code and improve it.
IBM, Sun, Hewlett-Packard and Novell are few companies that has realized the potential of LInux to grow even more in the future so they are devoloping things for it.
there are many people in the and therefor many preferences which has resulted in many different version (dists).

open source has completely changed my world. I probably have more open source software on my system than not. That’s one of the very few things about the mac that bothers me. closed source.

I agree with what your saying Chris Pirillo about Open Source. I use Linux which is based on people providing open source software. So I look into the furture and think that there will most likely be mainly open source. Well at least I hope so :). Because the more people that look at the code for a program the more chance stuff will get fixed faster and improved quicker. Well at least thats my take on it.

So You Calling Apple and Microsoft Idiots?

I believe that the future is open source(Like he said). Because why pay for software.

I’m no expert, least of all with Apple, but I can see why people could find the iPhone SDK releases as a significant step toward open source.

I mean Apple is a notorious control freak, and many would argue that’s its strongest point, but allowing some form of third party apps, even though it’s filtered through the App Store, still means Jobs and the like is finally interested in giving away a little more power than I would have even dreamed of a few years back.

I like the topic. I have allot of open source software on my computer, I am using Mozilla FF, You are right it is a beautiful program.

If big companies like Microsoft just said, “Ok we are going to make Microsoft Office open!” What would happen? People would loose jobs. Sure there would be some great improvements of it, but the bottom line is a decrease in profit.

I think that software like Counter-Strike is great. It relies on the gaming community to make it better, but people still make money. That is what could happen for Office. Microsoft should open-up to the community, the community makes it better, and Microsoft could turn around and sell it. But that brings up another issue. You put a ton of time/work into Office, and Microsoft sells it for a profit. How do you feel? Answer; like you have been cheated. So what do you do?

I honestly do not know. Right now I am making open-source software, and if I ever start to sell it I know that it won’t be totally open-source anymore. People have to make a living you know.

The more people that can build onto or improve an open source program can only make it better for the users. There is no reason we the consumer should not have a choice to purchase or use open source programs.

There is almost always a open source alternative for a paid product.

Like Microsoft Office for example the open source alternative for that is OpenOffice.org

In my opinion open source software will just keep growing larger and larger. And just because its open source dosent mean its not profitable. Last year FireFox made something like 50mill.

I think Chris is right, open source text editors like open office and much more have agreed to make one single, standard file extension which could be opened with any text editor. Microsoft said it would be jumping on this train too but what is the point of getting microsoft office for it’s retail price if it delivers the same result and extension as an open source free text editor? I think the future is free in software that is open source and maintained by its community.

yup. I agree.. Open source enables users to modify and make it better!

yea better software comes from open source like fire fox lunix ect… wish microsoft made there os open source it might fix alot of bugs in it if all people could see it but alot people could see other holes and use them

Having an open source option for everything is good. That way, you can use any type of software that isn’t unique (like games, social networks, etc.). Still, if software becomes open source, some of it should be buyable, so the creators can make a living from it.

Currently on my HP I have installed Wubi, which is a dual boot program with Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy heron. I must say that Ubuntu is one nice piece of computer magic. I can’t imagine anything more attractive except perhaps Mac OS X, though I wouldn’t know because I have never used it.

Yea I’m a developer for OdinMS. I use to code for TitanMS but OdinMS works more the way I like it even though Java isn’t my primary language.

I was reading the posts and I totally agree with most of them. The key to the success of open-source software is getting the word out! Yes that is basically it! I am going to talk to the IT guy at my school about installing Open Office on all of the school’s computers. I think that he will be willing to hear what I have to say, and I think that maybe I could save the school (even the school district) some money.

BTW I do know that the school(s) get(s) a discount on Microsoft Office, but still Open Office could save them some money.

You know, thats another thing that confuses me… Open Source…. when I use an open source program, they always want your money. I know that since it is an open source project… there is some funding that needs to take place, but do they have to hit you up for cash every single time you launch that dang program?? Just a pet peeve of mine I suppose.

Chris i think there sould be more open souce programs so we can use them more Some programs you have to pay for But the there is a nother program like that not 100% the same but the same

what would happen if windows was an open source software what would happen? …it would be hell ….. so thanks to uncle Bill gates that we are able to use computers with ease

Open source is a great thing, and everything should be open source, but one thing that’s bad about open source is that it’s compromising the software. When you let people know how it is made, and what is it’s crucial components, people would be able to use that against the users.

What if something that was open source was tampered, and actually made things worse for all the users that use it? what if someone tampered with it a certain way for no one to realize that their info was taken, their computer is “hacked” or even all that info being used against them, whether in Identity Theft, or “blackmail” or even what if someone made a huge mistake that completely corrupted the entire open source software being used, what if someone implemented a virus/spyware/ or something that goes unnoticed, cause everyone “believes” that something open source may be safe…

That’s the whole reason why almost everybody uses Firefox now. It’s fast, free, and you can tweak it to whatever way you want. Try doing that with Internet Explorer!

Well free software should be left up to the developer to decide weather it will be open. We cant expect everything to be open. I do like the idea of having open source software and would like to have more open software because it will ignite innovation. It wont be one person who develops the software it will be many. But ultimately people need to make money so not every piece of software can be free.

I mostly disagree. Open source programming languages are all good, open source projects are good also, some are awesome, but it is not by any manner of means ” The Future “. Yes, servers run on Linux which is open source but this only occasionally reduces overhead costs. Open source servers are not totally secure.

OS X is the best OS ever, in my opinion, and its not developed as open source, written in open source nor does it contain any back end open source code.

If it wasn’t for open source software, i don’t think that i would be using the internet much. I mean with Gas Prices now days i don’t think i would have any money left to pay for closed source software. I like how these developers let the community put work into their projects, and let the people have their opinions on certain products etc.

Thanks Bradley Bradwell

I completely agree. Open source is the future! I curerntly run linux and xp pro (I know microsoft ahh), but yes I need some of the features in XP. THough the majority of the time I use linux. I love that in linux it is so easy to access open source software and then alter it to my needs if needed sometimes. Though honestly most applications I obtain through open source are just fantastic. The question is how long into the future will there only be open source software available and no non open source?

go buntun Open source Open minder ready to add on!

Open source software for the iPhone will be a great thing to come out! Eventually when an open-source developer realizes that they are attracting a lot of users, they will start making the user pay for their software thus not making it open source or freeware anymore.

This guy has never been laid

XedLos raises a very good point, open source is a fantastic concept and developments like Linux and Firefox are ever growing, but in the end, corporations like Microsoft develop there products to make money. In the end, someone needs to be making money and in that light, will open source software really be the absolute future of computing software?

Actually, OS X is based upon and uses open source projects and code. X11, BSD, CUPS and Darwin just to name a few. Although OS X itself is closed source.

Also, a big reason for using Linux in the past, before say Windows NT was stability. I don’t know anything about the stableness of new Windows server versions as I have no experience with them.

PS. I’ve never heard of Open Source programming languages, programming languages do not have a “source”.

Yes, indeed. The future of software is inevitably open source. Only a few years ago did I begin to hear about open source. However, at that time I was still using mostly closed source software to do day-to-day activities. Fast-forwarding to today, the open source community has made such great strides that now I use mostly open source software for all of my everyday needs from web browsing to multimedia playing to even some games. And the thing is, casual PC users are beginning to like open source software, and when they like something, it’s bound to catch on in the computer industry like wildfire. How long will we have to wait, though? Sadly, only time will tell.

I agree there are security issues to the open source solution. However, take a look at the gaming industry and see how mods have enhanced gaming. In a similar way, an open sourced OS would benefit. Imagine the possibilities. If we could just figure out a way around the hackers and the like.

Surely there’s some type of protection that can be offered!

I believe that open source software is definitely more popular than the software you buy, the main reason being, it is free. However, if all software in open source, does that mean paying for software will become thing of the past? Or will we pay a convenience fee for downloading a program pre-compiled?

With the number of Linux users on the rise, free and open source software is becoming more and more common. However, I find Linux to not be a user-friendly, so I think that is the major downfall of Linux.

Open source is definitely “more trustable”. You can generally assume that open source software is safe because many people in the public eye have looked over the code. However, I do not think a company would like to open themselves up that much. They do not want to reveal too many of their “secrets”.

So overall, I believe the ratio for closed source and open source will remain the same for years to come.

There will be hardcore technical software that no one will write unless paid.

Also games. Don’t forget that.

I agree with you, open source should be the way of the future. But I think some companies will not be willing to share their secrets with the world, which may eventually cause them to be dominated by an open source product. If all software was like firefox, things would be amazing.

It doesn’t make sense for the future of software to be open source. Programmers spend their time making software, and a lot of work goes into programming. They deserve the money for all the work they do.

I not agree with this. There’s Linux with its 2643 different versions. no one really knows which is the best the ¾ of them is instable one of the version got the cool image gallery but the other the cool effects which should I use? And I don’t know but I think that I’m not using any open source software on my vista. I think that a team making a freeware properly for himself deserves it that no one can change it’s logo in the software he is developing.

Well i couldn’t but that in better words than you did Chris but i do agree with you i mean, it makes sense if you have an open source program being used by about 1 million people and i’m sure at least 60% then will try to work on what ever bugs they have, there but if it’s some kinda corporation then working on the bugs and making better, etc it will be harder because i’m sure they wont just work on one project for rest of their lives, right?

Open source windows would be great, the community could actually make it work correctly.

Most things are now on source forge. such as Phil’s PhiPlan PHP IRC bot. Linux is open source, which means that anyone can take the Kernel and edit everything and change it and twist it and make it their own, by adding new things, deleting other things, usually making it better, or smaller in Damn Small Linux’s case. There are very many distributions of Linux because there is so many. VLC is open source, Firefox is open source, If open source never came up and everything was closed, the internet would get nowhere. Everything would stay the same, every day. It would be very boring eh?

For me, open source is already my main source of software. If there is no open source solution, it usually is not worth having at all.

Anywhere,Anytime working in team with more people is better.That’s why open source is the future.Many ideas means more chances of finding the right one

I prefer the low-cost aspect. I couldn’t really care less is it’s proprietary or open-source as long as its stable and does the job for a reasonable price.

His wife is smoking hot.
Get a life asshole.

The basic necessity of software is to make our work more simple.So when it is placed in open source it can be further modified and can be made more simpler.. So the idea of open software is really benificiary…..