Cost-effective Comparison Of Open Source Software Vs. Prioprietary (paid Licensing) Software In Productivity Environments

COST-EFFECTIVE COMPARISON OF

OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

VS.

PROPRIETARY (PAID LICENSING) SOFTWARE

IN PRODUCTIVITY ENVIRONMENTS

Ian Hansen

Submitted to

Galen Hansen

Superintendent

Riverside School District

June 16, 2005

3

Table of Contents

Transmittal Memo . . . . . . . . . 1

Cover page . . . . . . . . . . 2

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . 3

Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . 4

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 5

History of the Evolution of Software . . . . . . 6

Background of Open Source Software . . . . . 7

Benefits of Open Source Software . . . . . . 8

Drawbacks of Open Source Software . . . . . 8

Background of Proprietary Software . . . . . . 9

Benefits of Proprietary Software . . . . . . 9

Drawbacks of Proprietary Software . . . . . . 10

Research . . . . . . . . . . 11

Price/Functionality Comparison of Applications in Mixed Duopoly Environment 12

Price/Functionality Comparison in Server Environment . . . 16

Results . . . . . . . . . . 19

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . 20

Recommendations . . . . . . . . . 20

Appendix 1 . . . . . . . . . . 21

Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . 23

4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Brad Adams, who found and helped set up G4U, and many other useful

applications, and for making me aware of the Open Source community world. Much

appreciation for helping me try to think “outside the box.”

Thanks to John Gill and Lance Simon for their collaborative efforts, as we have

moved forward in the technology department. Your professional help and input have

greatly aided me in completing this research project.

Thanks also to Andrea Reid, the Spokane Linux Users Group, Source Forge and

Google Scholar, all of which helped me in putting together my primary research.

5

ABSTRACT

The first part of this report gives the history of advances in technology, effectively

defining proprietary software and Open Source software, and listing the benefits and

drawbacks of each. These benefits and drawbacks are basic, informational or otherwise

historic facts that don’t require any specific research in order to prove a particular point.

Rather, my research compared cost effectiveness of the two types of software in

two main areas: 1) common software and application utilities, and 2) in the web server

environment. Price comparisons were made, while taking into consideration the time to

research the technological needs, cost of the solution considered, and time for

implementation.

The results of price comparisons, in both software areas explored, show that there

is a considerably less amount of money to pay, potentially thousands of dollars, looking

at Open Source solutions.

The conclusions and recommendations invite a collaborative investigation of the

current particular technological needs of the district, and then finding out if there are

solutions in the Open-Source community that would cover those needs. If both time and

money are saved because of a better system, its implementation would undoubtedly be a

benefit.

INTRODUCTION

In the history of advances in technology, proprietary operating systems and

software bundles were all that were available. With the advent and progression of new

technology and new ideas, the free and reproducible Open Source software has also been

on the rise. Looking at any business environment from a technological standpoint, be it

6

corporate, educational or government, the business wants to spend the least amount of

money and yet have the most productive and integrated software solutions.

The following paragraphs describe the history and evolution of software to its

present state in industry, which is important to understand for the scope and nature of the

research I did. Much of it is informational and educational, yet, as it shows what

proprietary software is and what Open Source software is, it does not necessarily

compare the cost of the two against each other. That cost comparison is something that I

cover later in the analysis, with first and secondhand experience and observations made

and documented in workplace environments.

History of the Evolution of Software

In the early ages of computing, back when a “computer” was a huge, noisy piece

of equipment that might have filled up almost an entire room, small pieces of code were

written to make these computers perform basic functions. Driven by programmers and

code writers to increase the performance and capabilities of these machines, commands

that would perform these basic functions, such as multiplying or dividing numbers, were

written.

These codes and commands came to be known as software programs. In the

online book, Open Sources, Eric S. Raymond told that as early as the 1960s, software

writers were busy creating programs that could be used on computer systems, and newer,

more capable computing hardware, as it was released. While many programmers during

those days decided that they would freely share their programs and their capabilities with

other software writers, others declined, and decided that they would withhold their “trade

secrets” and establish their own intellectual property. And, for a fee determined by

themselves, as the owners, they would share a “copy” of their product, but, under license,

7

the buyer would not be able to make any changes to it, as it would infringe their

intellectual property.

These actions resulted in a fork in the directions of software development that still

exists today. That is to say, there are two categories that software fits under: one, the

paid licensing category, which is known as “proprietary” software. The other, which

holds the information-sharing attitude of early programmers, is called “Open Source”

software. However, to the general public and most computer users, this knowledge of the

history of software evolution is greatly unknown. Most people at this point in time are

only aware of proprietary software, which has since dominated the computer world.

Background of Open Source Software

The Open Source ideology has existed since the inception of written software.

Simply put, Open Source software are programs created for the use of whoever might

need them, at no price. A person might ask, “What’s the catch with Open Source

software?” or “How does it work for free?” Those questions are addressed under a form

of licensing, called the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL, 1989-1991), which

ensures that users can take a program and make use of it, even with the option to change

and streamline it according to their needs. The GPL states that while users can take these

programs and use them, they have to put their own “source code” up for other people to

see, use, and modify, and cannot at any time hide their source, which would essentially

make it proprietary. Such a stipulation maintains the freeness of the program and its

availability for all to use. This form of licensing has stemmed from an overall

collaborative attitude that has shown to promote innovation and productivity, and not

competition nor gain. Currently, Open Source software provides solutions in all areas of

Operating Systems and software capabilities.

Benefits of Open Source Software

One large benefit of Open Source software is the zero cost for the software itself.

While there is a price accompanying implementation, regardless of operating

system/software choice, there is an overall lower total cost of ownership. Many

organizations that do not have a lot of money can use such software to their advantage.

Also, the amount of software available and in production to the public makes it favorable.

The Open Source community is a world-wide collaboration, with a vast range of products

being released to the public for free via the Internet and other companies. By making all

of this available, another resulting benefit is the less amount of dependence consumers

have had on particular vendors. Open Source software, because of its free and modifiable

nature, has been much easier to customize for the particular needs of individuals or

companies. Because not every situation in every business is the same, this can be a large