Open Source vs. Proprietary Software Andreas Sembrant Mahdad Davari Muneeb Khan Nikos Nikoleris.
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Transcript of Open Source vs. Proprietary Software Andreas Sembrant Mahdad Davari Muneeb Khan Nikos Nikoleris.
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software
Andreas SembrantMahdad DavariMuneeb KhanNikos Nikoleris
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software
• Open Source:– The source code is kept open and free for all so
that everyone can contribute and use– Development is done because programming is fun
• Proprietary Software:– Developed internally by a company– Based on a business plan
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software
• Stallman vs. Johnson (Andreas)• Ethical Egoism (Mahdad)• Utilitarianism (Muneeb)
Stallman vs. JohnsonBetter for society because:
• Less redundant work
• Higher productivity when users can directly contribute
• People will eventually learn to donate money
• Copyright/patents protect the financial investment of the developer
• The purpose of the patent system is not wrong
• Pirating software is stealing
Stallman Johnson
Ethical EgoismRight action is the action that is most advantageous to oneself in the long run
• + Users provide free labor
• - Lose control of the development
• + I can “steal” other people software for free, and extend it.
• + Become rich
• + Maintain control
• - Do everything from scratch
Open Source Proprietary Software
UtilitarianismRight action is the action that maximizes the overall happiness for all
• Free for users (+)
• Less redundant work (+)– Implement new features
instead
• Difficult to use (-)• Boring programming tasks are
ignored (-)
• Economy/Startups (-)– Difficult to attract investors
• Can be expensive to use (-)
• Redundant work (-)– Better to invent new things than
redoing old things
• Easier to use (+)– Developers are paid to also do
boring tasks (e.g., write documentation)
• Economic prospects (+)– More jobs for society – Easier to attract investors
Open Source Proprietary Software
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software
• Stallman vs. Johnson: Not clear
• Ethical Egoism: Not clear
• Utilitarianism: Not clear
• At the moment, the largest investment returns comes from proprietary software– but this trend is slowly shifting since more companies are
providing open source software (e.g., google, android)