Joy of the Open Road

Source Article:
Caldwell, T. (2007, September). JOY OF THE OPEN ROAD?. Information World Review,
Retrieved September 9, 2009, from Business Source Complete database.

Abstract
The article discusses the pros and cons of open source software in classroom and library settings. It aims to give answers to the following questions; (1) who is really accountable for the use of open source in the institution, (2) who is responsible for providing maintenance and support and (3)who is looking at managing the real cost.

Things I learned from the article:
1. I am not really familiar with how open source software works. But as the term suggests, I thought that this is fully free of charge. After reading the article, I learned that there is such a thing as service level agreement (SLA) which is being paid for in using open source software (though I’m not still sure if it applies to all open source software)
2. Though a growing number of libraries have been using open source software for their library operations, only a small percentage of these libraries include or mention using such software in their policy. This implies that the use of these softwares is initiated by enthusiastic techies.
3. Some commercial softwares are venturing into a more complex approach where in universities can develop it in same way as an open source system.

In today’s tough times, institutions, especially the small ones, undeniably benefit from open source software. But as the article argues, “open source is not the key feature; the key feature is value for money”, thus the deciding factor should be its interoperability, nature of support and security issues. Though this may be true, the problem with small institutions is the lack of IT staff who can evaluate and maintain the software, not to mention the budget. Reality wise, more institutions will prefer open source over commercial solutions.