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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Open source vs Closed source... What makes Open Source tick.
From:       Michael Howell <mhowell123 () gmail ! com>
Date:       2009-07-29 2:04:37
Message-ID: 200907281904.44884.mhowell123 () gmail ! com
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On Tuesday 28 July 2009 02:15:50 viwe lolwane wrote:
> Hi everyone.
> Just have a general question on open source, I would like to know what is
> the reason behind
> the success of open source development, looking at the success of products
> like linux, kde
> this are world class software products..  when you look at the development
> process of open
> source I can deduce that documentation is rare, the developers operate on
> environments like
> mailing list, forums, they rarely meet.
>
> How are reliable are open source softwares compared  to closed source
> softwares developed
> like organizations, and i would also like to compare the development
> process used by both. is
> it fair to say that open source software must be full of bugs and errors
> compared to closed
> source because it is designed by volunteers  but again it has been
> successful. is the future
> of development an open source development process or are we doomed to fail?
>
> What is really good about Open Source, and what are the disadvantages.
Firstly: Open Source software is written by individuals and companies. Closed 
Source software is written by companies and individuals. For example, 
Trolltech wrote Qt, which backs KDE, and many companies have written drivers 
inside Linux.

Now, to compare distributed OSS development vs. non-distributed CSS 
development (in other words, the typical models for both).

In a distributed OSS model, all defects are immediately visible: already 
discovered ones are in the bug tracker, and unknown ones are visible in the 
code, ready to be found. Problems can be found before they are triggered, 
giving well-tested OSS, such as KDE3.5 very stable.

In a top-down CSS model, defects are kept secret, to give investigators the 
illusion that the software is bug free. Bugs can last for a very long time in 
virtually unchanged code for years.

In a distributed OSS model, vendor lock-in is impossible. Since the code is 
available, interoperability can easily exist. Giving KDE as the example again, 
we can look at the KIO, KParts, Plasma, etc that allow for KDE apps to work 
and act the same.

In a top-down CSS model, the same work-together attitude does not exist. The 
win32 APIs are crap (yes, I said it, the raw win32 APIs are crap crap crap); 
even Microsoft-developed software usually contains their own layers between 
the win32 APIs and internal program structures. Microsoft Office and Windows 
Media Player are shining examples: neither of them use anything resembling the 
appearance of any other Windows applications. This can also be argued as being 
the fault of Microsoft having no UI standards, except that KDE3 didn't have 
any UI standards, either, but was still very consistent.

In a distributed OSS model, the people making the software want good software. 
Often, they wish to use the software they are making. This can be a very good 
thing, because it means that the software will not include annoyware, will not 
contain DRM, etc. It can be a bad thing, too, because the software is often 
not very user-friendly.

In a top-down CSS model, software is made to be sold, and to be sell-able. 
Things such as nagware, DRM, crippleware, etc, do exist. As an extreme 
example, look at the seven (yes, 7) versions of Windows 7. Microsoft wants 
people to buy the same software twice, and makes the software to ensure that 
happens by selling people crippleware to start with, and ensure that you want 
the Ultimate version, even if you'll never use the features it provides, by 
not making the difference clear.
However, this also means that the software will be designed to be user-
friendly, so that people will buy it.

-- 
Please don't send HTML mail. If you forward mail, please remove the garbage. 
Thanks!
 
Michael Howell 
mhowell123@gmail.com

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