Does Open Source Code Have Monetary Value?

Generally, open source refers to software Dba Press whose source code is available for the general public’s use and modification from the original. The premise of open source software sounded like a mad man’s idea in the early 1980s; it seemed impractical and inapplicable for programmers to spend days and nights developing software then giving it away free. The rationale behind this was to ensure the quality production of software by not focusing on proprietary rights or financial gain by the programmers. Needless to say, it worked, open-source software is increasing yearly, and 50% of software may be open source by 2016. Its ever-growing popularity makes one wonder, does this type of code really have monetary value?

Just because the source code is free doesn’t mean the associated documentation and support is. The ability of programmers to modify software makes it even more efficient and effective for use; appraisals and performance reviews to keep tabs on the software can be performed. On success, the enormous monetary gain can be gotten by developing and selling its plugins like in SEO or WordPress and even charge for technical support. Huge financial institutions and companies are leaning towards this type of coding implementation to cut costs. The ability to extract a section of this code and integrate it into their system creates a heavenly tune. An example is the use of the Linux kernel in banking institutions. Production increases and costs are cut down significantly, leading to shot-up economic gains thanks to open source code. Plus, many have benefited from open source by generating revenue from complimentary proprietary products and services.

So, where are the open-source billionaires? The Bill Gates’ of the OSC industry? Open-source software, as mentioned, is not profit-oriented. Its license is free, and this requires open projects to run at low costs to make the same amount or less as a similar proprietary software enterprise. People are willing to pay less for them than they would pay a comparable enterprise, which forces open source to work twice as hard for the same results. This kind of software is for the benefit of the public and improvement of the software; the vast profit margins are not experienced as in commercial software. This hinders even more into investing “in the open,” creates hesitations and a million and one unanswered queries. The fear of hackers being able to alter code also makes one shudder. Imagine a school’s website built on open source and hacked and modified without anyone’s knowledge, disastrous, right?

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Indeed, enthusiasm for this software is driving a “golden era” in application development, according to Forrester Research, and many of the software created is going open. Some of them include Mozilla, Linux, and the Bitcoin system. Even binary options software is open as this attracts more people to invest in them. But the flip side of the coin still glares one in the face and leaves a lot unanswered, is the programmer getting enough, or does he deserve more? What if the product was proprietary? Guillermo J. Perry is the Platform Administrator for Marketer Network. For more information on how to get a true website valuation and SEO audit report, please visit Marketer Network.