If you are a small to medium size business owner, or perhaps even a new business trying to maximize your start up income, one way to defray costs is through taking advantage of open source software for your business needs. From your operating system and your software needs such as word processing, spreadsheets, and website design, to your internet browser, you have the option of procuring items such as these at no cost. Most open source software licenses are offered to the public at no charge, and that can save thousands of dollars.

So what is an open source license, and why is it free? Open source means exactly that. Anyone can have access to the source code. What that means for businesses is that they can tailor a piece of software to fit their specific need without the expense involved in entering into a works made for hire agreement with a software company who is in the business of selling a basic product, then offering to customize it at an additional cost.

With open source, you simply download it, and if you agree to the license terms, you can start using it right away. If your downloaded software needs to be altered and you have the technical knowledge or resources to do it, you can freely customize it yourself, or you can hire someone to customize it for you at a fraction of the cost that someone like Microsoft would charge. The caveat on this is that anyone altering the source code must put it back out there after it is altered - that is a condition of open source usage. Beware of this, because if you customize in such a manner than it gives you a competitive edge in the business you are in, then you will not likely want to put that back out there for the public to see.

Using this type of software has many advantages. As mentioned, you can save operating costs, but you also will typically get some really great software that will have as many, or even more features as the high priced standard programs. Users have the freedom to work with the software to add to, and improve it, so you tend to get some really great functions with open source. With open source, you don’t have the yearly maintenance and support fees, but you still can receive the most up-to-date versions at no charge.

Added perks are that there are no RFPs, vendor selection and contract negotiations that typically goes with the purchase of software and maintenance agreements, plus the there’s no added cost of training to learn how to use it, and the support necessary to maintain it. You have the option of downloading free manuals that are easy to use and lay person friendly. Also, when using open source, you don’t have to worry about spy ware being embedded in the program as you would with some commercial brands.

As with anything, there are some down sides such as no protection if something goes wrong with the software, and no one to call for help. However, if you do a search on the internet, you’re likely to find blogs out there discussing suggestions to resolve the issue you are having. There is also no protection from third party claims for infringement on intellectual property, so this would be a risk you may want to consider, or perhaps discuss with an attorney.

In addition, if you are a reseller who is bundling proprietary software with open source software for downstream distribution, or a software vendor whose development personnel are grabbing programs out of open source libraries and incorporating them into presumably proprietary products, there could be problems if you distribute the software (copyleft distribution), and you do not place the licenses for the improved products on the same open source terms and conditions.

Keep in mind that you’ve only met the definition of “open source” if you contractually agree to provide the source code version of the software at no further charge. The licensee should be free to use and modify the open source software for its own internal purposes. However, if the licensee elects to distribute the original or a modified version of the open source software, then it may not impose any limitations on the use of the software by its customers or anyone else downstream.

If you would like to learn more about open source software, visit www.gnu.org. This site is a great source for finding out information on open source products, licenses and issues, plus keeping you up to date on the latest open source issues.

Written By Sandra Cable with Lisa Greer

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