It's free, it's easily available, but why aren't there more users holding up the banner for open-source software? -- Photo/ REUTERS

So you don't want to pay for your software (or for anything else, for that matter).

Instead of getting in trouble with the law over pirated programs, why not give open-source software, which is totally free, a try?

Surprisingly, not many people do. The lack of a price tag may be working against free software - people, it appears, want a cheap (as in pirated), but not a free (open-source) lunch.

That may explain the many misconceptions that surround open source, which Digital Life picks apart.

Another reason for the reluctance of users to adopt open-source may be the bad experiences they may have had with such software in the past.

Indeed, open-source in its early stages - around five years ago - was distinctly inferior to its proprietary (read, for sale) counterparts such as software by Microsoft and Adobe. Many people who tried the first version of OpenOffice found its interface clunky and unintuitive, and slow to run.

However, it has improved since then, such that it is now able to mount a serious challenge to commercial software. These days, open-source is already giving software giant Microsoft a run for its money, with programs like the popular Mozilla Firefox Web browser invading Internet Explorer territory. Mozilla Firefox has been downloaded more than 300 million times to date.

Even Microsoft's flagship product, the Windows operating system, can be replaced by flavours of Linux, an alternative operating system for PCs.

One example of a user-friendly Linux distribution is Ubuntu, which has a similar interface to Windows and even features a migration tool for Windows users to switch over seamlessly.

Some open-source programs have even won awards that are usually given to commercial products - Mozilla Firefox snagged PC World's Product of the Year award in 2005.

So how did something that is available for free get so good?

Open-source's edge lies in its accessibility: anyone (who knows how to can view the source code, modify it, and redistribute it to others to use.

So, after many revisions over the years by a host of people - some of them professional engineers - the final product can be on par with, if not even better than, software bought off the shelf.

If cost savings is not a convincing enough case for you to try out open-source, then think of it as a means to ensure consumer independence. That is, you don't have to be tethered to a certain brand and held ransom to buy its revisions and upgrades.

A 2005 survey conducted by the Computer Economics website found that most of the respondents saw this as the most compelling reason to use open-source software.

In other words, open-source arms you, the consumer, with freedom of choice and so keeps the power of major software companies in check.

That means open-source software is not just free - it sets you free too.

Related:
» Good for home use and for business
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