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Article: The real cost of 'free' software: ready to throw Microsoft out the Window(s)? Knowing the risk-reward ratio of free and open-source software could help you decide.(techsavvy)
- Article from:
- South Florida CEO
- Article date:
- January 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 CEO Publishing Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IT'S BEEN SAID THERE is no such thing as a free lunch. Then again, you've also been advised not to look a gift horse in the mouth. But where do free and open-source software options fit into these cliches?
You must consider that free software simply means the source code is freely viewable and that software developers are allowed to modify and distribute it. Similar to free software is open-source software. Again, the source code is open; however, there are restrictions on modifying and redistributing it. Unlike "free" software, open-source software comes without a price tag. But, ultimately, enterprise-class open-source software is not free, either.
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