Why have I not heard of open source software before?

As the open source community do not charge for the software they produce, there are not the funds to advertise as there are with their commercial competitors. Large software corporations spend huge amounts of their profits on marketing their products however, open source communities do not have such luxuries so rely on others such as their sponsors, computer manufacturers and the Internet to attract people to their products.

Could the open source community disappear leaving my organisation isolated?

Open source has been around for decades so rest assured, your organisation is not being put at risk using this software. The reason its growth has exploded over the last few years is because it has evolved into a real alternative to commercial software. As you can read from our Open Source News reports, many large organisations are transitioning themselves over to open source software providing further confidence that it is here to stay.

Who will support my open source solution?

Unlike many proprietary commercial software products, open source software allows your organisation to directly communicate with the developers and other users of their products. Therefore, it is normal to post a support question directly to a community forum and receive an answer back in minutes! Again, unlike many proprietary commercial software products, this support is free so your can reduce your IT costs further by reviewing your support procedures and supporting yourself!
However if your organisation would prefer a more traditional support structure, many communities and third party IT providers offer telephone and on-site support as a chargeable service. Take Life Easy will work with your existing IT providers and/or find new IT providers to ensure your organisation continues to be supported as you currently are today.
Rest assured, because you can interact with the developers of the software directly, support is far quicker with open source than can ever be obtained with commercial proprietary software products.

Why hasn't my existing IT provider told me about open source software?

We suspect your existing provider sells you a combination of hardware, software and services. As open source is free, it removes not only one of their revenue streams but also has an impact on the other two. For example, if your provider sells you a new software solution, it may require new hardware so further sales can be gained through continually ensuring you purchase new IT solutions from them.
At Take Life Easy, our single aim is to reduce your IT expenditure by using free open source software and by utilising your existing IT infrastructure. Remember, we are completely independent of all IT providers and have no incentive selling you their products.

Why would people produce software for no reward?

There are many rewards working within the open source communities and rewards come in many ways.
Some software developers are sponsored by IT companies to work full time on a specific open source software project and are actually paid a salary. Companies donate their own developers to a project because they require that software to run parts of their business. An increasing number of companies are working this way as the cost to produce the software is shared amongst many companies rather than just one. Obviously this significantly reduces the cost of software development within these organisations providing them an advantage over their competitors.
For some it is the prestige which comes from being a software developer on a project within the open source community. Open source software developers are well respected and sought after in the marketplace which makes themselves much more marketable in their own careers.
As open source attracts some of the most skilled software developers in the world, a large number of people appreciate having the opportunity to work alongside and meet some of the most talented software developers in the world.
For those that dedicate their spare time to the project, it can become a hobby! Their reward is gained from the satisfaction that they are producing quality software which is something they may not be allowed the time to do within a commercial environment.
Many software developers believe software standards should be open and unrestricted allowing easy interoperability between applications. They believe these standards should be set by the many rather than a single commercial organisation as has historically been the case.
But for many they receive their rewards knowing that because open source software is available to anyone in the world for free, they are providing people from all backgrounds an equal opportunity to use the same tools. This is why open source software is now so predominate in developing countries helping these countries to compete with developed countries.

What is meant by “Open Source" software?

Software is produced by developers writing in a code (known as the source) which is understood by both developers and computers. Once a finished application has been produced, this code is then compiled into a format which only a computer can understand and is no longer eligible by the developer. When a commercial company sells a software application, they generally only sell the compiled version. This is known as closed software because you can longer see the source code and therefore cannot make any changes or improvements. Open source software publishes both the compiled version and the source code. This makes the "source" “open” for all to see, change, improve etc. So the words "Open Source" really do mean the source is open to everyone!

If the source code is published, hackers can surly read it and find ways into the software causing security risks?

Publishing the source code actually improves the security of software. Companies which produce software commercially only have a finite number of developers working on a software product. Although reviewing and testing a software product before release is common practise, that company can only provide a certain number of resources even in the largest software companies. Open source code is published so that everyone around the world can see it allowing the tens of thousands of people who participate in these communities to test, review and contribute. Security holes are found much quicker in open source software because there are many more eyes looking at the problem than could ever be possible in a commercial organisation. Even when problems are found, these same people can write a patch and send it to the community for review which explains why problems in open source software are fixed much quicker than their commercial equivalent.