I decided to try and expain on my last article. I am hoping I will keep expaning and make a full research paper out of this. It might take some time but I will post as I go.
Introduction to Raspberry Pi Aquarium Controllers Part 2
By James King
Introduction:
This article is to go a little deeper into using a Raspberry Pi as an aquarium controller. The first part I gave a little overview of the Pi where I hope to dive a little deeper in this article. I I will be discussing the pros and cons of open-source software in this paper. This does not mean proprietary software does not have their place or is worse than open-source.
Before I get into those pros and cons I would like to take this time and try to explain some terms you might see in this paper.
Open-Source Software: “Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.” (“What Is Open Source?”).
Proprietary Software: “Proprietary software is any software that is copyrighted and bears limits against use, distribution and modification that are imposed by its publisher, vendor or developer. Proprietary software remains the property of its owner/creator and is used by end-users/organizations under predefined conditions.
Proprietary software may also be called closed-source software or commercial software.” (“Proprietary Software”)
Pros:
The first pro I would like to talk about is price. Proprietary software cost money where open-source most of the time does not cost money. The price can range from very cheap to very expensive for proprietary software, mainly if they require a subscription cost to their license. Also the cost can depends on the options a user want. For example with proprietary software the options are like purchasing cable packages. A user might only want sports channels but to get those sports channels they need to add other channels which they don’t care for. Open-source software allows for the grouping of options and only using what the user want.
The second pro I would like to talk about is the flexibility. With open-source software having the ability for modification/enhancement the user can make the software fix to their unique needs. When a user gets proprietary software they are getting a one-size-fit-all option. These software are design for the mass group of users where open-source software allows each user to make changes that fit their needs.
The third pro I would like to talk about it support for the software. Proprietary software has a company, even if its one person, behind it. This company provides some level of support to their software. This support could cost money or could be free. If a user has a problem or discover a bug they need to contact the company who then needs to turn around a fix for the issue/bug. This turn around could be very quickly or could take time. Open-source software doesn’t have a company behind them but they do have a community. If a user runs into an issue they can search the community of other users using the software. These users can put their heads together, or go at it alone, and solve the issue. Again the solution to an issue could be a quick turn around or could take time.
Cons:
The first con of open-source software I would like to discuss is the lack of support. I did mentioned that support can be a pro as well. The con part of the support is the users are at the whim of the community or the user’s own knowledge/skill. Due to the fact that no one is being paid to support the software the turn around can be delayed as the community could be focusing on other projects. With proprietary software the tech support’s job is to solve all and any issues. If they get a report of an issue they will focus their resources to solve the issue. A user of proprietary software can be confident that their issue will be looked at and worked on as quickly as it can be.
The second con of open-source software I would like to discuss is that it is not normally turnkey. When a user purchase proprietary software that software has been tested and should work right after being installed. The user might need to make some modification but those modification are normally simple and done quickly. Open-source software being flexible can take longer for a user to get where they want it. They will need to take their time and make sure they hit every setting/option that they want.
What Is Open Source?
What is open source?
Proprietary Software
What is Proprietary Software? - Definition from Techopedia
Introduction to Raspberry Pi Aquarium Controllers Part 2
By James King
Introduction:
This article is to go a little deeper into using a Raspberry Pi as an aquarium controller. The first part I gave a little overview of the Pi where I hope to dive a little deeper in this article. I I will be discussing the pros and cons of open-source software in this paper. This does not mean proprietary software does not have their place or is worse than open-source.
Before I get into those pros and cons I would like to take this time and try to explain some terms you might see in this paper.
Open-Source Software: “Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.” (“What Is Open Source?”).
Proprietary Software: “Proprietary software is any software that is copyrighted and bears limits against use, distribution and modification that are imposed by its publisher, vendor or developer. Proprietary software remains the property of its owner/creator and is used by end-users/organizations under predefined conditions.
Proprietary software may also be called closed-source software or commercial software.” (“Proprietary Software”)
Pros:
The first pro I would like to talk about is price. Proprietary software cost money where open-source most of the time does not cost money. The price can range from very cheap to very expensive for proprietary software, mainly if they require a subscription cost to their license. Also the cost can depends on the options a user want. For example with proprietary software the options are like purchasing cable packages. A user might only want sports channels but to get those sports channels they need to add other channels which they don’t care for. Open-source software allows for the grouping of options and only using what the user want.
The second pro I would like to talk about is the flexibility. With open-source software having the ability for modification/enhancement the user can make the software fix to their unique needs. When a user gets proprietary software they are getting a one-size-fit-all option. These software are design for the mass group of users where open-source software allows each user to make changes that fit their needs.
The third pro I would like to talk about it support for the software. Proprietary software has a company, even if its one person, behind it. This company provides some level of support to their software. This support could cost money or could be free. If a user has a problem or discover a bug they need to contact the company who then needs to turn around a fix for the issue/bug. This turn around could be very quickly or could take time. Open-source software doesn’t have a company behind them but they do have a community. If a user runs into an issue they can search the community of other users using the software. These users can put their heads together, or go at it alone, and solve the issue. Again the solution to an issue could be a quick turn around or could take time.
Cons:
The first con of open-source software I would like to discuss is the lack of support. I did mentioned that support can be a pro as well. The con part of the support is the users are at the whim of the community or the user’s own knowledge/skill. Due to the fact that no one is being paid to support the software the turn around can be delayed as the community could be focusing on other projects. With proprietary software the tech support’s job is to solve all and any issues. If they get a report of an issue they will focus their resources to solve the issue. A user of proprietary software can be confident that their issue will be looked at and worked on as quickly as it can be.
The second con of open-source software I would like to discuss is that it is not normally turnkey. When a user purchase proprietary software that software has been tested and should work right after being installed. The user might need to make some modification but those modification are normally simple and done quickly. Open-source software being flexible can take longer for a user to get where they want it. They will need to take their time and make sure they hit every setting/option that they want.
Works Cited
What Is Open Source?
What is open source?
Proprietary Software
What is Proprietary Software? - Definition from Techopedia
