What Open Source Solutions can mean to your VA Business
You may have heard the term Open Source in relation to resources and tools available on the internet but there seems to be a lot of confusion about what it really is.
Last week we talked about Lifehacker.com, where you can find tons of downloads. Many of these are free – they are Open Source Software solutions.
Open Source Software is developed within an open collaborative environment. WordPress for example is an Open Source project, probably one of the most well known. This means that Word Press team members contribute to its development and make it available to the public free of charge.
This blog runs on the WordPress platform and I use WordPress compatible plugins and a WordPress compatible theme to enhance the basic WordPress software. There are literally 100’s of free WordPress Themes and plugins available. Think of them as accessories. WordPress is my “little black dress” and the theme and plugins are my shoes, jewelry, purse, hairstyle, and makeup! All Open Source, all free. So, in this case, you get incredible value, at least as good as, and I think better than paid options.
Many of these developers as well as companies like Microsoft and Google use free software as a marketing tool to sell their other products and services. There are also organizations, many of whom are non-profit, made up of developers who voluntarily create free software.
I thought writing this post would be very straightforward and simple but I realized as I sifted through the top layer of information that there is a technical maze behind the scenes that lead to a web of legal and political issues that are truly overwhelming.
Think of this – we take the right of free speech for granted here in the United States but many governments do not guarantee their citizens this right. However, the World Wide Web knows no political boundaries.
I was reminded of “The World is Flat” where author Thomas Freidman talks about the major contribution of Open Source Software to the flattening of the world. Open Source levels the playing field a little more. For example: I can use Microsoft OpenOffice a very robust Open Source alternative to Microsoft Office Suite but instead of paying a couple of hundred dollars that I’d rather be spending on anything else, OpenOffice free!
If you need a tool, try searching for an Open Source solution before plunking down your hard-earned cash. You might find a limited version free and have to pay for increased functionality and that’s fine, if you need it. But if you don’t, well then why pay for it? I mean, unless you have absolutely nothing else to spend your money on (are you sure you don’t need new shoes?)
