Open source is about freedom — not simply the ideal of freedom, but the commercial reality of freedom. Open source software does not carry licensing or subscription fees. Although the initial attraction of open source software may be the fact that it is free of charge, you are likely to find very quickly that the long-term advantage of open source lies in two other characteristics:
- The code is accessible. Unlike many commercial products that not only hide their code but also forbid you from modifying it, open source code is visible and you are free to modify it to suit your needs.
- Open source protects you from being tied to a specific vendor. If you adopt an open source solution, you can partner with the developer of your choice to assist you. If you deploy a system such as Joomla!, which is based on popular and common technologies, you need not dread having to change vendors in the future because finding people who are familiar with the system and have the skills needed to work on it is easy.
Taken together, the initial cost advantage plus the long-term benefits of having access to the code and your choice of vendors create a compelling argument in favor of open source.
However, you should also consider the disadvantages in the course of making your decision. If your firm has existing software deployed on a proprietary system, you may want to continue with those systems rather than introducing different products or platforms into your business. Support can also be an issue with open source products. If your firm requires a high level of support, you need to select an open source vendor that can offer you an appropriate service-level agreement.
However, you should also consider the disadvantages in the course of making your decision. If your firm has existing software deployed on a proprietary system, you may want to continue with those systems rather than introducing different products or platforms into your business. Support can also be an issue with open source products. If your firm requires a high level of support, you need to select an open source vendor that can offer you an appropriate service-level agreement.
Support for Joomla! is typically a self-help scenario. If you need to obtain a commercial support contract with a service-level agreement, you need to search for a developer who can provide this service because Joomla! does not offer commercial support. Although commercial support can be difficult to find, Joomla! does provide numerous community-based support options, including:
- Online documentation
- Community forums
- Online tutorials
- Mailing lists
- RSS feeds
- Developer wiki
- Design services
- Consulting services
- Custom development
- Deployment
- Support
- Hosting services
- Licenses for other related software, for example, certain extensions
- Domain names
- Maintenance
All of these expenses may not be applicable to your project, but you should consider them when calculating the total cost of ownership of an open source system. Even if you plan to manage and maintain the site yourself, don’t forget that there is a cost associated with your time. It is a common mistake to underestimate the amount of time it can take to maintain a site. A CMS is a complex piece of software and it can be a target for hackers and others with bad intent. You cannot just build your site and forget it. Across the life of the site you need to install patches and security releases. The more complicated your site, the more time this takes. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring this sometimes significant ongoing cost of ownership.
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