Open source technology and it's impact on Irish business
Authors
Spillane, Paul
Issue Date
2003
Degree
BA (Hons) BIM
Publisher
Portobello College
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
This dissertation analyses Open Source technology, its risks and benefits, its past, present and future and finally its impact on the business community. It will give a very clear picture by the end of it, as to how it has become so popular, how companies are making money from it and the current views of companies in Ireland on Open Source Technology. A community of developers from around the world designs open Source software, by the use of the Internet. This means that no one person is the sole owner or designer of the source code, so any person can use the software for anything they like. You can get software designed and customised for your specific purposes on web sites like sourceforge.net. This has 638,806 users, which is more than work for Microsoft worldwide. With such a huge number of users, it is easy to understand the speed at which the software is developed and its resulting high quality. The main advantages of using Open Source in your organisation today are the reduced licensing costs, the greater freedom to customise the software, and the freedom to duplicate, replicate and distribute the software. There are very few disadvantages. However the current lawsuit between SCO UNIX and IBM regarding patent law, may well alter the future path for Open Source. Currently companies in Ireland are bec')ming more aware of the possibilities open source offers to a commercial organisation. Companies in Ireland have a favourable view of Open Source and its benefits. A majority of the organisations questioned for this thesis are looking at moving from proprietary software to open source. Many governments throughout the EU zone, require all government tenders to evaluate the open source option before implementing proprietary software. The Irish government are currently analysing this development, with a view to implementing the same legislation here. Without a doubt, Open Source Technology is the biggest thing to become mainstream since the Internet.