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Open source software (OSS) has come a long way. Once only the most adventurous, tech savy users would run business operations on open source software. Now good OSS rivals that of commercial software. Microsoft is facing a signficant challenge from open source in all areas, from operating systems to word processing. Just one year ago I didn’t use any free or open source software. Now my newest businesses run completely on a combination of free and open source software.

Notice I said a combination of free and open source software. While open source software is free, all free software isn’t open source. Much of the software I discuss here is free, as in free to use. Sometimes the providers of free software make money from their product by including advertising within the product. However, OSS is free to download and install on your personal computer or server AND you may see and modify the source code. Now if you aren’t a programmer that might not seem important to you. But it could be…

You can find free to use, web based software to do nearly anything. From editing photos to business spreadsheets, there are lots of free options. However, when you run your business with free software that is not open source, you run the risk that the product could be discontinued, or the provider is acquired by a bigger company just to eliminate competition. By using open source software, you will never be at the mercy of another company. You can even find a programmer to modify open source software to fit particular business needs.

InfoWorld has done a great job of reviewing some of the most popular open source options and you should take a close look at an OSS alternative before making another software purchase.

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