Introduction
Often, the term ‘open-source licensing’ means special rights and benefits that allow people to use the program’s source code for users’ needs with minimal restrictions. Thus, the data obtained from free access can be changed, distributed, and modified, eliminating potential costs and establishing limits and boundaries (Tomsho, 2016). It is no secret that this concept is one of the most controversial phenomena in the IT industry; the confrontation between its supporters and opponents has been the most noticeable trend in the software world in recent years. This paper aims to clarify the picture of understanding the situation and highlight the positive and negative aspects of open-source licensing.
Advantages
Open-source licensing has an extensive range of positive aspects by its essence and nature. Primarily, this instrument allows one to benefit from cost reduction and savings of almost 90% compared to similar tools (Pearce, 2020). The free and accessible paradigm is a fundamentally helpful template for the strategic use of available resources and capabilities. Moreover, open-source licensing also permits people to maintain confidentiality since, in fact, some corporations may collect the personal information of their clients for targeting and other purposes (Akhlaq et al., 2018). Individual developers and small groups of programmers who support the license react to bugs and errors much faster than large organizations. Several programs have no restrictions on the scope and duration of use. They can be used for business, scientific research, training, and service for their purposes for an unlimited amount of time.
Moreover, open-source licensing makes it possible to adapt the software to users’ needs and develop a unique ecosystem through the actions of third-party developers. In general, the license and open-source projects help to support artificial intelligence, blockchain, and complex computing technologies. It unites programmers, designers, and those directly connected with the IT sphere. In the future, open-source is likely to help replace manual processes with automated software control, contributing to innovation.
Disadvantages
Despite the above benefits of open-source licensing, it is also essential to highlight the following weaknesses in the area. Hence, the disadvantages of open-source are much less evident than its proses; they are mentioned much less often. Firstly, one should note that an open source may be a less convenient option for some people since users indirectly copy the source data. At least developers who appeal to open-source principles do projects for themselves and other specialists; they may not be aware of the “torments” of ordinary users. Secondly, there are additional costs associated with plug-ins and many other elements, even though the license is a free solution.
Thirdly, as practice shows, programs with the specific “permit” are illiterate; they contain mediocre documentation or do not contain at all. Many programmers have a terrible idea of how “ordinary people” live; for them, the central phenomenon is that the project works, and everything else is a matter of a different character. This also leads to another problem — an excessive emphasis on the solution’s functionality to the detriment of everything else. Moreover, open-source actively generates various legal problems and issues (Alamoudi et al., 2020). Fourthly, attackers may use codes to exploit their vulnerabilities for specific purposes, for instance, when stealing information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that open-source licensing has been a well-known trend for a long time, which still remains relevant. Nevertheless, even such a well-developed, widespread concept has noticeable advantages and disadvantages. For example, it allows users to save money, keep data secret, and get developers’ support and help. Nevertheless, products based on open-source licensing can sometimes be difficult to master, which takes a lot of time.
References
Alamoudi, E., Mehmood, R., Aljudaibi, W., Albeshri, A., & Hasan, S. H. (2020). Open source and open data licenses in the smart infrastructure era: Review and license selection frameworks. Smart Infrastructure and Applications, pp. 537-559.
Akhlaq, A., McKinstry, B., & Sheikh, A. (2018). The characteristics and capabilities of the available open source health information technologies supporting healthcare: a scoping review protocol. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics, 25(4), pp. 230-238.
Pearce, J. M. (2020). Economic savings for scientific free and open source technology: A review. HardwareX, 8, pp. 1-17.
Tomsho, G. (2016). Guide to networking essentials (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.