Without a doubt, open source is making the software business better. But, if you’re considering going the open source route for software that’s critical to your company, keep in mind that “open” doesn’t mean “free.” It’s understandable that cost would be a major factor in the decision to go open source, as it’s free to license and allows you to spin up unlimited instances. However, there are a number of hidden expenses associated with using open source software that in many cases can drive up the price tag way past commercial software. The real differentiating factors in open source have less to do with cost than they do with your objectives, and the capabilities of your team.
Freedom from vendor lock-in is a double-edged sword
As Julia Vowler pointed out, the open source route gets users off of the supplier’s upgrade cycle, allowing you to upgrade when you choose. Freedom may come at a price, however. A vendor contract goes both ways, and when you purchase commercial software, you typically also purchase a maintenance contract which gives you access to experts who live and breath the kind of problems you’ll face. Cutting the vendor cuts out your traditional route to quality, timely tech support.
Open source doesn’t have traditional tech support. A maintenance contract is much better than simple reliance on a dev community who might not be ‘interested’ in helping you solve your problem. Communities have interest in the general purpose and direction of the software, but no obligation to your business–they shouldn’t be considered any sort of replacement for tech support.
Unless you have an IT staff with several experts in a particular open source code, you’re going to have to hire consultants to help you tune what is really a general purpose tool. As David Lithancum observed, to correctly configure and install open source software, it may require an army of consultants. They won’t know about your business, and will require ramp up time and an ongoing relationship.
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