Pros and Cons of using open source software to secure your network Essay

Pros and Cons of using open source software to secure your network - Essay Example This is so to guarantee unlimited access to derived works by original contributors. Examples of open source software in the contemporary world include the operating system Linux, Firefox, GIMP, Sugar CRM, Vtiger, Zurmo, and Suite CRM. People generally develop open source software to gain recognition and plaudits, enhance the product and to increase its longevity (Feller, 2005). With the huge number of organizations, governments and businesses using open source software such as the ones listed above, it has become evident that the free/ fair/ lower prices of the software is not the only advantage the use of these software bring. Along with reduced cost of spending and management of such software, there are a plethora of other benefits concerning the use of open source software. The first of these benefits is the superior security that is associated with open source software. An instance that proves this higher security status is a recent happening where coverity of numerous defects of the Android kernel was discovered. The only reason this discovery was possible is because the kernel code is open to the view of the general public. Basically therefore, the implications of open source software is that the more people who can see and test a set of codes, the higher the chances that flaws will be discovered and quickly corrected. This is what is termed the Linu x law which asserts that, given sufficient eye balls, all bugs are shallow. Open source software kinds are continuously evolving and upgrading the system. The markets appreciate product robustness and open source software facilitates a larger market of early adopters (compared to those of closed source software/ proprietary kind) who actively aid in debugging the software. In essence, therefore, open source software grows much faster in the early stages of development/ introduction into the market (Feller, 2005). Closed