Introduction

The subject of “open source vs closed source” incites a passion in even the most introverted of technologists – both sides are un-wielding in their opinions, however, such debates are insignificant without a context for comparison.

What do I mean by context – I’m referring to a basis for comparison and consideration such as the use case, the business size, the skills of resources to operate the solution or the applicable industry.

There’s no one size fits all with respect to any tool that I have found, software or otherwise – a sledgehammer has its purpose, just as a carpentry hammer has its. Would you use a general purpose carpenter’s hammer to knock down a concrete block wall? Or a sledgehammer to knock in nails? The answer is no – you might try if you had no other choice, but neither would do a very good job.

In this lesson, I want to provide you with a framework to assess “your context” for businesses grappling with this very decision to assist them in analyzing the decision between open source or closed software platform.