Below are some of the advantages that open source offers:
Take control of your software
Open source software gives you the power to control your software's code. You have the right to modify the code to suit your requirements and control the budgets that you want to spend towards it. Unlike proprietary software, where the vendor controls your code, upgrades and budgets -- with open source software, you control the upgrade process and can choose to decide which bugs to fix and when.
Escape Vendor Lock-in
Disappointment and dissatisfaction with a vendor's support and service is a reality for all IT managers. Inability to customize software to meet your requirements or support your needs, further increases the frustration. Open source gives you the freedom to choose your preferred vendor giving you the flexibility.
Lower cost of ownership
There are no license fees for an open source software, reducing annual license fees cost to zero. There is zero cost of scale, because open source doesn't require additional licenses as the installation grows.The only spends are towards the support for your software that ensure reliability and reduces running cost by at least 80%.
Greater Security & Quality
Open source software is available publicly. A large amount of developers globally contribute and analyze the code making it more secure and constantly increasing the quality. The peer review process drive excellence in design.
Continuity
It is possible that a proprietary software company shuts shop or decides to discontinue services for a software. With it goes the support and the future of the software. Open source software is not dependent on a single entity and gives users the advantage of the community. Any developer can choose to take up the software and continue from where it stopped.
It provides a new forum for democratic action
As individuals and companies decide where to make improvements in the system, the collective desires of the community determine the overall direction of progress, and yet without compelling anyone. People with opinions about what direction is best can urge others to join in, request help, and in this way influence the overall direction of progress, but without any elections in which the majority overrule the minority.
Financial savings
In the majority of cases of Open Source software, the software will be available for free. In other words, the acquisition costs are considerably lower than those of the traditional, proprietary software that may be purchased. In many cases people also want the services connected with the software acquisition that will cost; installation, operation, training support, however compared with proprietary software the same case often applies here.
Easy integration and interaction
Open Source code means that it is relatively simple to adapt programs so that they can work with each other because you can see from the source codes how a program ”thinks” and how you should approach it to share or exchange data, for example.
Abundant support
You will get ample support when you use open source software. Open source support is mostly freely available and can be easily accessed through online communities. There are also many software companies that provide free online help and also varied levels of paid support. Most organization who create open source software solutions also provide maintenance and support.
Free online support
Using open source softwares does not mean that if you encounter a problem in implementing it you are in a pool. There are several online communities that offer advice and assistance. Today, some of the companies that develop softwares and allow free download provide supports and maintenance as well.
Scaling and consolidating
Linux and open source software can be easily scaled. With varied options for clustering, load balancing and open source applications, such as email and database, you can enable your organization to either scale up and achieve higher growth or consolidate and achieve more with less.
references:
1)http://eu.conecta.it/paper/Advantages_open_source_soft.html
2)http://www.cynapse.com/resources/benefits-open-source
3)http://www.outsource2india.com/software/articles/open-source-software.asp
4)http://www.albion.com/security/intro-7.html
5)http://www.redpill-linpro.com/About-Open-Source/Advantages-of-Open-Source-software
6)http://www.quality-web-programming.com/blog/advantages-of-using-open-source-softwares/
7)http://askville.amazon.com/advantages-disadvantages-open-source-software/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=31059756
