Open source
02 August 2013
What are the particular benefits and drawbacks of open source software and how should these be weighed against other factors in the software selection process?
We’re undertaking a major CMS migration project at the organisation I work for. There are lots of factors which determine which CMS to pick, but here are some of the ones that relate particularly to the open source question:
- Extensibility: Both open and closed source solutions can have active plugin marketplaces. In an open source system the developers can access the core code and this in the end provides greater customisability. But a closed source solution might have better APIs which is likely to speed up development in the majority of cases.
- Complexity: A closed source solution might have more powerful features, but if these are unused then this complexity might slow down development and content management.
- Security: It’s often said that open source software is more secure because “given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”. However a closed source solution might provide security guarantees that a purchasing organisation can be more confident in.
- Growth: Some closed source solutions have costs that increase dramatically if the number of editors, servers or domains increases. This could create an unhelpful psychological aversion to digital growth.
- Roadmap: Closed source solutions might have clearer roadmaps, providing confidence over the direction of the product. However if an open source solution radically changes path then one is not forced to upgrade and could even branch off.
- Coupling: Some closed source CMSs try to be ‘all-in-one’ digital solutions by incorporating things like email marketing, analytics and A/B testing into the mix. There are benefits from having an integrated system although a more loosely-coupled solution potentially allows each element to be more specialised and appropriate to the need.
I haven’t mentioned cost (apart from as it relates to growth), although this is obviously an important factor. We have to work out whether the cost of any extra development time needed on an open source solution is likely to be more or less than the additional license and support fees needed for a closed source solution.
Just to reiterate, these are just my thoughts on some of the factors that relate to the open vs closed source question in the CMS selection. There are lots of other factors going into the overall decision.
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