Softwarelicenses for computers are painfully expensive, it is a known fact. We have to
accept it and live by it. In countless cases, however, there is an interesting and
perfectly viable alternative, and it is called open source.
اضافة اعلان
For
those who want to work legally and enjoy peace of mind, not to mention reliable
computing, paying for software is the only way.
Besides, with increased network
connectivity and the trend to do most everything online, technically speaking the
possibility to use cracked (i.e. pirated) software copies has become very
difficult, if not impossible — in addition to being unlawful, of course.
Because
our computers now are constantly connected to the internet, the legal owner of
the application you would be using will inevitably find a way to detect its
validity over the network and will disable it if not found legitimate.
Moreover,
and although the price per license has gone down over the last few years, in
most cases, what hurts is the total price you end up paying monthly or yearly,
for all software products you could be using. It really adds up.
Open
source is software that is legally free. It is clean, and free to get, to
download, to install and to use. At first sight it sounds like it is too good
to be true. But it is true. Where is the catch? There is no catch of any kind,
but there are limitations that one should be aware of.
First
there are not many open source products out there that are well tested, well
known and that have stood the test of time.
The most striking and the most
representative example is Linux Ubuntu. This is an operating system that
replaces
Microsoft Windows.
It is available for consumer computers and for
servers as well.
According
to hostingtribunal.com Ubuntu has a 2 percent share of the world computer market.
Despite this very small part, Ubuntu has proven that it is good, reliable and practical.
So, why then not systematically replace your Windows with Ubuntu?
Because
of the limited market share it holds, precisely,
technical support is not as
widely and easily available for Ubuntu as it is for Windows. If you have a
problem with the latter or want to ask a question about it, you have countless
resources to turn to, from tech-savvy friends to YouTube tutorials and
everything in between. With Ubuntu the scope is significantly more limited.
Also,
you may not find in Ubuntu all the functionality you may otherwise find in
Windows, though again, the open source product will definitely be enough the do
the job, and to do it well.
Another
example of good open source software that has become popular and that can make
you save money on licensing or subscription price is GIMP, the photo editing
application. It is seen as a valid replacement for Photoshop, the reigning but
expensive photo-app.
The
user graphic interface may not be as aesthetic as
Photoshop and perhaps not all
of the functionality of the champion is there, but GIMP works and delivers —
more than 95 percent of the users will not be asking for more.
Another
great player on the open source software market is
pfSense, a product based on
FreeBSD. What pfSense does is replace an expensive firewall. This one may not
be for your home computer setup and is more oriented towards businesses, large
corporations and installations where a physical firewall is required, the
device that provides ultimate network protection, the kind that anti-virus just
cannot provide.
Physical
firewalls involve an initial purchase of expensive equipment and then annual
subscriptions that also cost a lot.
Open source pfSense helps users save
thousands of dollars per year and provide network protection that is on a par
with what paid firewalls bring.
Open
source software is a good thing. Unfortunately, there are not many such products
around.
The three examples mentioned above are some of the most significant.
One
thing, however, is certain: The trend is towards increased availability and
usage of open source.
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