Software developers love open source. And what’s not to love?! It’s easily downloadable, it’s prolific, creative and most importantly – free. There are thousands of programmers who have experience using open source libraries, so you can draw upon the free (or cheap) help from others. An open source code base can give you a big head start, getting you 80% of the way to the finish line in no time flat. For start-ups or companies in new, unpredictable markets, this free kick-start can be the only path to survival.
Almost all companies use open source products and libraries for internal projects, corporate IT needs, and some PC-based development projects. If the software to develop runs on an open application platform like Windows, Linux, Android or iOS, then you can sparingly consider open source. Open source in these situations is okay because multi-application software platforms such as PCs, tablets and phones are rebooted often and upgraded, bug-fixed and replaced on-the-fly with regular frequency. Characteristic open source code bloat is not a problem on a PC or phone because memory and processor power is plentiful – no harm, no foul. Usually… Continue reading “Open Source, Embedded Systems, Heartbleed and Throwing Programmers Under the Bus”