User Risks
- Contents:
- Abstract
- User Risks
- Conclusion
- References
- Related Articles:
- User Costs
- User Benefits
Abstract
Along with benefits, the adoption of open source software is accompanied by potential risks. This section discusses some of these risks.
User Risks
Product end-of-life
The mobile and volunteering nature of the development community cannot guarantee the sustainable product cycle, and there is no obligation for long-term viability of the open source software for the volunteer-based community. In addition, there is no deadline for open source developers to fix a bug or enhance a feature of the product. If there is no commercial vendor backing and supporting an open source product, such product end-of-life risk may be high.
With open source software entering into the mainstream IT deployment, more commercial IT vendors and consulting firms are capitalizing on market opportunities to provide support and services. Therefore, choosing appropriate open source products and selecting right service packages from well-established providers can help eliminate such risks.
Fragmentation or "forking"
Due to the freedom to access and modify source code, there is a risk that code base may be split into multiple projects and lead to incompatible versions. In the commercial marketplace, a firm may want to differentiate itself from the rest and add features that make it difficult for customers to switch from one vendor to the other. Such lack of standards and interoperability poses a huge threat to the integrity of the open source movement.
However, the forking of the Linux operating system has not appeared as predicted. On the contrary, the Free Standards Group, a consortium of companies including IBM, Intel, HP, Dell, AMD, Red Hat and Novell, has been established to support Linux Standard Base 2.0, a specification to assure compatibility among Linux distributions. If the Linux advocates can unite and build a critical mass around a standard, the risk of forking is reduced.
Legal threat
The SCO group lawsuit brought to light potential legal issues surrounding the use of open source software. Such risks need to be kept in mind when adopting open source solutions.
Many business firms view the access to source code as one of the attractions in choosing open source solutions because these firms may customize and enhance the software to meet specific needs. However, due to the "open" nature in the development process and relatively low legal awareness among developers, possible source code infringement might lead to costly lawsuits.
Vendor lock-in
There are two possible scenarios under which an open source software user could become locked-in to a specific vendor's product or service. The first lock-in scenario arises when the user chooses a vendor's open source product that is incompatible with the products provided by other vendors. Even if the user becomes unhappy with the current vendor and its product, high switching costs may prohibit the user from switching to another vendor's products. The other lock-in scenario arises when customized support and services are provided by a consulting firm. With the access to source code, consultants may modify the original open source software to such an extent that continuous support and services from the same consulting firm are necessary to maintain the smooth and reliable functioning of the systems, regardless of cost.
Conclusion
There are several user risks associated with the adoption of open source software. These include product end-of-life, forking, legal threat due to possible source code infringement, and vendor lock-in. Consequently, open source software users need to ask the correct questions before choosing open source products and services, and consider the use of protective contracts.
References
- Giera, Julie (April 2004), The Costs and Risks of Open Source, Forrester Research.
- Schadler, Ted (September 2003), Your Open Source Strategy, Forrester Research.
- Schadler, Ted (April 2004), Evaluating The Health of Open Source Software, Forrester Research.