Justifying the use of FOSS

Sam Varghese
Monday, 16 April 2007 07:31

Opinion and Analysis

Microsoft Office 365

Wheeler is a well-known network security practititioner whose argument for using FOSS comes down to one line: "Look at the numbers." He has been maintaining this paper for some time but a recent update certainly makes it look very impressive. When it comes to FOSS, one rarely thinks of this line of reasoning - the majority is using it. Yet in many cases, as Wheeler points out painstakingly, providing example after example, the FOSS alternative has become the preferred choice.

What I particularly like about the figures Wheeler has put together is the fact that he does not exaggerate even once - he lets the numbers speak for themselves. If they tend to tell a fake story, then he points it out with evidence to substantiate his reasoning.

To put it in his own words: "This paper emphasizes (sic) quantitative measures (such as experiments and market studies) to justify why using OSS/FS products is in many circumstances a reasonable or even superior approach."

Wheeler has no chip on his shoulder; this much is obvious from his statement that "this paper’s goal is not to show that all OSS/FS is better than all proprietary software." But he does include references to the fact that "many... believe this is true from ethical, moral, or social grounds," that is, that FOSS software is better.

Another excellent aspect of Wheeler's paper is his sobriety. There is no hyberbole, no escessive putdown. It is a far cry from the fanboy stuff that one finds on the web at large, and sites like Digg and Slashdot in particular. No, this is a reasoned argument all through and Wheeler is always quick to point out limitations when they do exist. This is a man who is scientific in his approach.