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Open Source Software is an amazing new form of spreading knowledge, it is generally free software that can be used in any business. Developers of open source are people that choose to distribute their code publicly and make it available for anyone to use, as long as the users give credit back to the original developer, they can view and edit the original code in any way they want.
It works in mostly the same way as paid software, you get a license, you just don’t pay for it.
There is a great philosophy behind open source, users are basically co-developers because they can suggest their own ideas to improve the code and customize programs to their own needs and expectations.

Some Advantages:
Well first of all it is free, and who doesn’t like free stuff? Open software is a great way for businesses to save money and there are unlimited possibilities for growth because of its evolving nature and quality is always improving because of the multiple developers that can input their knowledge and share it with others. It is also great to be able to adapt to any businesses specific requirements.

A few Disadvantages:
Because of the lack of commercial products, some open source software has become targeted for developers only, and doesn’t get much attention from non-developers that could potentially use the software because of the programs forgetting to be “user-friendly” and user interfaces are not really developed.
Another thing is that when things go wrong it is very hard to search for help because of the constantly changing nature and reliability on certain developers.
Also, everyone being able to edit the source code is quite insecure because anyone with bad intentions can edit the code and exploit potential vulnerabilities.

On an end note, open source software require a bit more training for company employees but it is a great way to customize software to specific business needs and save money. There is a great community behind it and people are always eager to help and improve stuff.

Sources:

Open Source Software – The Advantages & Disadvantages