Future Challenges
Abstract
Large firms, the early commercial adopters of open source products, have clear strategic reasons and enough resources to support open source software. However, in the mass market where in-house expertise is scarce and cost-savings are not clear-cut, adopting open source software can prove challenging. This section discusses some of these challenges.
Future Challenges and Prospects
According to Moore's model for the technology adoption life cycle, there is a "chasm" between the early adopter and the early majority, which constitutes the mass market of high-tech products. In an open source context, large firms, the early adopter of open source products, have clear strategic reasons and enough resources to support open source software. In the mass market where such in-house expertise is scarce and the cost-savings are not clear-cut, crossing the "chasm" for the adoption of open source software is challenging.
The primary issues present in the open source arena include the following:
- Lack of support. As indicated previously, insufficient in-house expertise and resources are reasons for the reluctance of the mass market to adopt open source systems. According to a 2004 survey by Forrester, 56% of open source users list insufficient support as the top concern.
- Forking. As open source vendors try to differentiate themselves to attract customers, kernel fragmentation might be the consequence of such marketing tactics.
- Lack of a single administrative image for high-performance Linux systems. This concern potentially reduces the attractiveness of open source solutions since interoperability is critical in system maintenance.
- Security. Open source software is viewed by many to be more secure due to the open development process and the many talents utilized around the world. Indeed, the security of open source systems is satisfactory so far. Since a mass market adoption of open source software has not yet materialized, there are two possible reasons for the rank: open source solutions are more secure, or there are not enough hacker attacks to test solidity of security.
The cost of migrating from proprietary software to an open source alternative is a final major obstacle to overcome since the majority of corporations already have proprietary software in place and in use. Moreover, as more companies participate in open source developments and services, the shortage of open source expertise might cost companies more to bring in talents to support the business. Consequently, the costs of open source deployments might be beyond expectations. However, a high demand and better compensation would inevitably attract more talents to the field, driving down the costs as the scale builds up.
Despite the many issues to be solved, it is generally believed that "good enough" low-cost technology can compete with a superior technology and snap up its share of the pie in the marketplace. Moreover, there are macro trends driving up open source development:
- Government policies in the third world. With open source software, license payments will be reduced. As a result, a lower cost of ownership will make computers more affordable to the people in the developing countries.
- Cost savings in IT deployment for organizations. With "good enough" open-source software, the adoption of low-cost software may bring cost savings to firms.
- Growing demand for IT accountability. The access to source code makes it possible for firms to customize IT solutions and add features to improve IT security.
In summary, there are many issues to be solved if open source systems are to cross the "chasm" of the open source arena and prevail across the software stack. However, there is no denying that enough momentum has built up in the open source movement to reshape the IT landscape.
Conclusion
There are many issues to be solved if open source systems are to prevail across the software stack. These include lack of support, forking, lack of a single administrative image, security concerns, and the cost of migrating from proprietary software to an open source alternative.
References
- Day, Brad (April 2004), Linux Crosses into Mission-Critical Apps, Forrester Research.
- Peynot, Richard (August 2005), The Business Hole in Open Source Support: Business Executives and Project Managers Shy Away from Open Source, Forrester Research.
- Schadler, Ted (January 2003), Executive Overview: Linux and Open Source, Forrester Research.
- Schadler, Ted (March 2004), Open Source Moves into the Mainstream, Forrester Research.