Why Everyone Should Use Open Source Software

Open source software is a broad term denoting any software for which the original program code is made publicly available. The most widely known example is the Linux operating system which was created by Finnish graduate student Linus Torvalds in 1993 and is now used to power 64% of all the internet servers in the world¹. Why have so many webmasters switched to open source (or OSS for short)? Because it's more reliable than the alternative (Microsoft Windows), it's extremely versatile, and most importantly: It's free.

Consider the recent disruption of the campus network caused by the w32.blaster worm. A major windows virus pops up every few months, and one to six less destructive ones that don't make headlines are discovered every day². By comparison, only 29 viruses have ever been known to affect Linux³. Software bugs that cause the system to hang are also less common in Linux because of the open nature of it's development. The code is out there for everyone to see and if a bug is spotted anyone is welcome to submit a fix. Instead of limiting development to a small project group, every programmer in the world is a potential contributor to a better piece of software. The old maxim that too many cooks spoil the pot is simply untrue.

Linux is highly versatile due to the variety of programs available. Also, unlike in windows any functionality that isn't being used can be safely deleted to make the entire system run better. Linux computers can be used for serving webpages, content creation, gaming, routing networks, manipulating graphics, playing movies, and much more. Again, becaue of the open nature of the development process anyone who wishes to add a feature that's missing from a current version of a program they use can write it themselves and contribute it so everyone else can share in the benefits. Many different distributions of linux geared to a specific use can be downloaded at no cost from the internet and a list can be found at www.distrowatch.org.

Linux and the various open source programs it runs have no monetary cost because they are developed by volunteers who write code because it's what they love to do or because they want to fill a gap between the current version of something and their own needs. Much of the work on programs that run with Linux was intended to duplicate functions found in very expensive proprietary programs. For example, GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, does most of the things Adobe Photoshop can do but is a fraction of the size and costs nothing.