Open source - Is it about the freedom or the price? (3 posts)

What's your #1 reason for using Free and/or Open Source technologies in the workplace?

Kaare

For the distributors, it might be the freedom and flexibility of using open software, and the enormous resource that the open source community represents. From the customer's point of view, however, the lower prices play a major role.

"According to the survey, 70% of those deploying Linux inside businesses cited lower cost as the main reason."

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/304062/survey_even_linux-loving_firms_only_deploy_it_one-fifth_employees?fp=4&fpid=1968336438

Freedom of price ?

It's a loaded question, but if you're talking about RMS's 4 freedoms about source code availability and so on, I would expect very very few users ever examine or modify the source code for GNU/Linux.

So out of your two choices (if that is all there is) it's not freedom (as in Libre) that really matters. For example, when was the last time you felt you wanted another feature, so you modified a Linux app (like OO.o) recompiled the source and did the right GPL thing and make your code mods available to the world. (I would bet my lunch that 99% or more linux users have never looked at or modified source code as per the GPL).

So for you that leaves free as in price.

Now considering that Linux is not very popular in the computer industry, (windows, OSX/BSD hold the majority of market share).

Sure Linux and GNU are "free" but even at that price the take up of the product can only be evaluated as a failure.

I know the people who use linux are big fans, but yes its FREE and yes it has freedom, but its a very restrictive form of freedom and a freedom most do not need or really want.

As for price, GNU/Linux wanted to gain market share but undercuting the opposition, it thought if it was cheaper it would be more popular, they took that to the extreem and make it FREE, but it failed again to gain any great popularity.

Conclusion: why do use LINUX, but whats far more important is why does the majority of users (by far) willingly PAY for software.

The answer is simple, quality.

You can get a junker car for free or really cheap, but if it does not do what you want, or it does not feel right, you will ofcourse willingly pay for a product that meets your needs and requirements.

You've asked the wrong question.

You should be asking why most people DONT use Linux and what needs to be done to turn that around. (without trying to blame it on someone else).

It's time FOSS stepped up and took responsibility for the issues affecting their cause.