Name:
Matt Crosslin

Email:
matt@mattcrosslin.com

Title:
The Problems With Open Source

Author:
Robert L. Bogue

Journal:
TechRepublic, August, 2005.

URL:
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/insight/software/linuxunix/0,39020472,39212438,00.htm

Introduction:
The objective of this article is to look at some of the common problems that are overlooked when considering open-source technology.  The author feels that many people don’t get the whole picture when considering open-source alternatives.

Brief Summary:
The author begins the article by looking at how many open-source applications are not truly compatible with their proprietary counterparts.  They may offer some compatibility, but even that is sometimes limited.

The author then looks at the training options that are available for open-source technology.  There is a lack of live face-to-face training available to people wanting to learn open-source.  Most will have to get a book and learn it on there own.

The author concludes by looking at the lack of support options for open-source.  Open-source communities tend to be so community oriented that the support and bug fixes available in one place may not help the custom configuration in another place.

Results:
The most important observation of this article is that switching to open source technology is not guaranteed to be a piece of cake.  Some advocates of open-source tend to gloss over the problems of open-source too quickly.  However, some opponents of open-source also focus too much on the problems, and end up missing the forest for the trees.

Class Readings:
This article really does not support or contribute to class readings or discussions.  This article focuses solely on the problems of open-source, and really does not dig into any specific educational value.

Analysis:
When compared to other articles, this article really takes the “glass half empty” approach.  What this author sees as problems, other authors have seen as potential benefits.  There is very little research presented here, just vague facts that are not really connected to a source.  The other articles leaned on some facts and figures, or at least personal experience, whereas this article did not.

Contributions:
This article really does not make a contribution to the research field.  The facts presented are not backed up by any research or evidence.  There are some good questions to consider in the article.  For example, will files saved in OpenOffice be usable in Microsoft Office?  The author only says “maybe,” but gives no clear examples of what he is talking about.

General Critique:
I do not feel that this article did a very good job of actual research.  There were some good questions raised, but none of them were researched.  Even a real life example or story would have helped to back up some of the points.

Despite these shortcomings, I feel that this is an important article to read if one is considering a switch to open-source.  All the pros and cons need to be evaluated before deciding which route to take.  This article hits some of the major concerns with open-source.  However, only three are really examined.  There are probably more out there that should be examined also.

Issues (listed by the author):
In general, the author really doesn’t leave any issues unanswered.  He deals strictly with the issues that he raises, and doesn’t really dive into any other issues or angles.

Issues (in my opinion):
I think the issues that remain unanswered in this article all deal with proprietary products.  The author is quick to point out the flaws in open-source, but many of the people who are commenting on the article also point out that some of those flaws also exist in Microsoft and other proprietary products.  I would suggest that an actual comparison between the two needs to be designed and carried out.  I think that you will find that the cons exist on both sides of the equation.

Impact:
Again, this is another article that does not seem to have had an effect on the research community.  This article was published in an online journal that allowed for feedback, and it did receive some feedback.  The feedback seemed generally split down the middle, but slightly leaned towards disagreement with the article.

Conclusion:
Switching to open-source technology is not an easy task.  It can be accomplished, but anyone wanting to attempt it needs to be careful before diving in.  Possible “switchers” need to be aware of all the different angle and possibilities out there.  However, there does not seem to be a good, solid analysis that examines both sides of the issue in a fair and unbiased manner.

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