Open sourced software should be adopted by business and software community because of the advantages it provides over closed source. While each model has its own benefits, for current businesses a mixed model is the best choice.
The cost of each model is very different; open source is free but usually has to be customized for each company thus adding to the TCO, while closed source has very concrete uses, and almost zero customizability.
The cost difference seems to be the most compelling part of Open source, especially towards small to medium size businesses that are perhaps the most cost conscious when it comes to technology investment. The process of obtaining certifications for each computer to put Windows on them is often a costly one, resulting in costs of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. When compared against the cost of a network admin downloading Linux and hiring developers or outsourcing to a third party the results are surprising. Support for the application or operating system is also a huge consideration company’s take into account. It would be a company’s nightmare to invest a large amount into an application to put on all their computers only to realize that the company is going under in a matter of weeks. This usually only happens with closed source due to the community not being able to support or develop for a platform (or application) that they don’t have the original code. Open source applications inherently create large community bases due to the very nature of the code development (shared).
So Instead of proposing an environment where I say they should only use open source or closed source software, I propose a different idea. The current business should allow for a mixed environment based on departments. The only departments that should use open sourced software should be the IT department or a similar department that is heavily dependent on computer skill. The reason for this is open source software often provides capabilities that closed source software cant. While other departments should use closed source software for the operating system, due to its ease of use and the support that is provided by Microsoft. Also this would be convenient due to the familiarity of the environment. I wouldn’t expect an accounting department to have to learn Linux, because employee training would eventually cost the company more than just buying some very expensive licenses. For private non-profit companies closed source would be the best option only if they can get a large discount on the licensed code. If not open source would be a much better option as they have no money and similarly for a private profit based organization open source would also be a better alternative. The reason for this is the software is free, and usually private companies don’t have large departments dedicated to support the development of an open sourced application or operating system. Public companies on the other hand I would recommend the mixed environment. This is because they have the resources to throw around to allow the employees to use their OS of choice.
So I would recommend instead of deciding on an overall policy, let the departments decide what is best. From there on implement the systems and get inter-department networking.
Why people still use Internet Explorer ?
This one more example where IE SUCKS…
Just check out CSS transparency settings for different browsers. Here is CSS code currently set to 50% transparency:
.test_transparency {
filter:alpha(opacity=50);
opacity: 0.5;
}
Here is what each of those CSS properties is for:
• opacity: 0.5;
This is the “most important” one because it is the current standard in CSS. This will work in most versions of Firefox, Safari, and Opera. This would be all you need if all browsers supported current standards. Which, of course, they don’t.
• filter: alpha(opacity=50);
This one you need for IE.
Unfortunately, it does not work on IE.
Do you know how to overcome this problem?
One way to bypass that bug is to use JavaScript, then it suddenly works. Or just specify a height / width when it doesn’t conflict with the stylesheet.
.test_transparency {
height:100%;
width:100%;
filter:alpha(opacity=50);
opacity: 0.5;
}
click here for live example