Opensource
What are the best ways to consume various types of open source software? In the past two articles we have covered the foundations of what Open Source Software is and how it is created and various types of OSS out there, the inevitable question to confront now is “Is there a proper way to consume Open Source Software in an Enterprise?”. In fact this is the exact same question I have asked some decision makers to gauge the level of their organizations’ maturity in OSS and gotten surprising answers.
Why some companies charge for Open Source Software when it is free? Before my immersion into open source software and getting to know it intimately, the question of paying for it seemed quite tricky. After all, why would someone pay for a piece of software when its source code is available for free to download, use and modify. It turns out that there are several types of open source software available today for consumption and all of them are not created equal.
In my last article, I covered the importance of embracing Open Source Software in enterprise to drive innovation and disruption . I tried to highlight that OSS has matured to a point that it cannot be ignored anymore for strategic needs and laid out a very high-level framework for its adoption in an enterprise. I have gotten a lot of good feedback and tons of questions since it hit the press.