by Zakary Venturo

Created on: May 31, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2009

Need an app? It is likely there is open source alternative to those pricey applications sitting on the shelf at Office Depot. While cost is often the number one reason to reason for taking open source seriously, the driving factor for why it has been a game changer inside the world of computers comes from the communities behind these projects. Developers in the open source world are often committed to delivering functionality they personally found missing in main stream applications. This is particularly true in the area of standards and the web and the genuine need to create a real road on the information super highway. But the bottom line for the consumer, no matter how cheap the software, usually comes down to something other than cost. Often it is, "can it get the job done for me?"

COST:

Pro: Open source applications are free or have a price tag significantly less than their counterparts. Open Office, for example, is free while Microsoft Office Standard costs $400. Both software suites are generally capable of interacting with each other, making it a viable solution for businesses, students, or anyone else in need of office productivity software.

Con: In general, help and support is much better with Microsoft Office. Money spent on a program can mean a great deal after market support to go along with the software. This is not a set in stone rule for every open source program out there, but it is a good heads up to take into consideration when weighing whether or not to take the plunge. Another factor is that sometimes the low initial cost for the software, even when free, might hide the cost of hiring the people with the technical skills to make it work.

Nod: Slightly in favor of open source. Most people will find their programming needs fulfilled without having to fork out a lot of cash. Other great programs from the open source world are Gimp for graphic manipulation and Notepad++, a hefty replacement for the simpler notepad that comes with Windows.

TECHNICAL ABILITY:

Pro: In some areas open source software is the industry standard. Apache is a web application server currently dominating the marketplace along with MySQL and PHP, typically known as the AMP stack. To go along with this dominance, open source projects like Joomla and Drupal are providing content management systems savvy businesses can use to their advantage and third party support is tremendous.

Con: It is MORE technical. While Linux is the backbone behind all those Apache servers,

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