[Freeswitch-users] The public perception of open-source software

[Ken Rice]

New Post on freeswitch.org from Kathleen King
check it out at http://ift.tt/1OsGMcz
The public perception of open-source software
These days “free” software seems to be a scary prospect to the general public. The association between open-source software and malicious “click here for free stuff” ads is strong and the fear of unknown “hackers” runs rampant. The old adage that “nothing good in life comes for free” has ingrained the idea that free is synonymous with scams. Why would anyone in their right mind give away a great product for free? This thought process is why most of the general public limits themselves to costly, proprietary services. The tech industry is huge and understanding it all is impossible, but buying trust isn’t the answer to guaranteed safety. There is plenty of fantastic open-source software available and it shouldn’t only be accessible to experienced, tech savvy individuals. And, as we move toward a more tech based culture, the up and coming generations can have an especially difficult time trying to explain this misconstrued conclusion to their older peers. Jim Salter from Opensource.com addressed this issue with an open letter to all parents with kids that want to use open-source software. He goes on to say free open-source software (FOSS) “is not “stolen” software. Free software licenses like the GPL and the BSD and Apache licenses allow users the ability to freely use, and developers the ability to freely develop, the software placed under those licenses. Another important thing to understand about FOSS is that it is not merely “free” in the sense of “free in every box of cereal.” Making a new copy of a piece of software literally costs nothing at all—this has made it possible for community efforts to produce world-class products in a way material goods never could be.” Helping the general public to understand the definition and motivation behind open-source will bring it out of the shadows of the industry and help it become mainstream. You can read his letter here: http://ift.tt/1UnfwRq

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