Open Source Software

How is open source work (as an example of community produsage) different from commercial production?

Open source is a "development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process" (Opensource.org). It differentiates considerably to closed software development. The differences include:

• Closed source model (eg. Windows, Internet Explorer):
  
• source code remains confidential
• software development mainly in-house, by paid staff team
• development goals set by software company
• business model is selling finished software package
• non-disclosure agreements and other IP protections
• software production
  

• Open source model (eg. Linux, Firefox):
  
• source code freely and openly available
• anyone can see it, edit it, use it, under limited-rights license
  
• development goals set by community
• business model is providing services around the software
• software development by teams of volunteers in the community
• software produsage (Bruns, 2008)

The differences between an open and a closed source development model are clearly evident. Open source enables members of the community to contribute to the code, such as changing the code, beta testing, error reports, and documentation. The figure displays how the source code is freely available to the public, and how they can make improvements and adjustments, ending up with a better source code for everyone to share. In this way, initial users also become producers, thus becoming produsers of the content (see my previous blog on Produsage).

Some benefits of open source development include the potential for faster development, ability to explore multiple solutions quickly, zero cost for software purchases or upgrades, greater transparency, and development in direct response to user requests and suggestions. The model does however also have its problems which include a lack of financial support for marketing or solving 'dull' problems, and its survival depending on size and viability of the community (Bruns 2008).

However, I believe, open source software can easily overcome the few problems it does encounter. In my opinion, open source is a great and simple idea with a big impact. After programmers have published the initial code, the community can 'produse' the code; read it, modify it, and redistribute it. In its own words, "We in the open source community have learned that this rapid evolutionary process produces better software than the traditional closed model, in which only a very few programmers can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque block of bits" (Opensource.org). With open source development, the possibilities could possibly be endless...