Open Source

There is the perception that open source applications are free. This isn’t quite correct.

Most often you’ll find an OSS application is free to acquire (ex: GPL License), which is great, the usual “free as in beer” sounds great, that is until you come to install it.

So you got this great piece of ‘free’ software, now the real cost shows:

• Installation
• Configuration
• Training/Usage

First you need to work out how to install it. Remember your OSS application may not be compiled, if it is, it may not include everything you need (dependencies).

Once you’ve worked out how to compile it, installed all the dependencies, you need to configure it. It’s not always you click here, change this pull down. Most of the time you need to understand the conf file, which may or may not be commented, or there be sufficient documentation do configure it quickly and easily.

So if you’re managed to install and configure it, now you need to learn to use it. Some OSS applications have a steep learning curve, others are intuitive.

The process can be quite a long winded one.

I generally work out the best application for the job, there are a few things to take into account:

1. Ease of use
2. Time to install and configure
3. Training time/downtime
4. Budget/Purchase Price

The reason I put budget last, and it’s usually quite a small factor when you take all the other parts into account. If you use a complex application it’s either not used, or takes a long time to learn, which leads to downtime. If it takes you a long time to install and configure, that adds to the total cost of ownership. The purchase price is a small factor.

A rough breakdown could be as follows:

Commercial Application

1. Easy to use - $0 for training
2. Time to install - $30 - 10-15 minutes to install
3. Time for training - $60-120 - up to an hour
4. Application acquisition - $200
5. Lost time - minimal, as you need to account for some training anyway

Total: $350

Open Source Application

1. Easy of use - Add $60-120 for training
2. Time to install - $60-120 - up to an hour
3. Time for training - $60-120 - up to an hour
4. Application acquisition - $0
5. Lost time - $60-120 (for the person being trained, this would be in addition to the training for a commercial application)

Total: $480

So next time someone says OSS is FREE, you should sit down and work out what the actual cost is, including down time, inconvenience and stress, then you may thing twice about ‘doing it on the cheap’. Don’t get me wrong I love OSS, as it lets me do some great things, but it’s cost me many hours of blood, sweat and tears and now I can reap the rewards, but it sure as the grass is green was not free.

Code for thought?