Some states and some companies are turning to open source software for a variety of reasons, some mentioned in this chapter. Some companies (say Microsoft) have gone on the record against open source software. Explain some of the advantages of using proprietary software and cite your advantages with websites that take or mention these positions.
It would seem that with the capabilities of open source software there would be no more need for proprietary software because open source is extremely similar and the best part is, it's free. So why are we paying for these other forms of software rather than going with the free option? Well there are many benefits to having the proprietary software over open source.
A contributing factor that sets proprietary software above open source is that it offers technical support. If something were to go wrong with your Microsoft office suite, for example, you could call them or e-mail them and within a short amount of time have your problem remedied. Techsoup.org discusses some of the benefits of using proprietary software, specifically Microsoft Office, and one of the main benefits was the fact that there is a "company behind the code." They have developers whose full-time jobs are to improve the software and make it user-friendly and convenient for anyone. Open source does not have quite these capabilities due to the fact that their software is created and maintained by its users and other technologically minded individuals. On top of having the technological support that makes proprietary software one step ahead of open source software, programs like Microsoft Office have a definite advantage because of their familiarity. Other open source programs just do not have the popularity or reputation that the proprietary ones have that makes customers feel secure and capable.
Your points are good ones... I use a lot of open source stuff in my work, and if it doesn't work, I have to fix it myself. I depend a lot upon user communities online to look for solutions, and in some cases, they are more efficient than paying for or finding technical support.
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