Why open source?
Flexibility. Innovation. Cost reduction. Quality.
Open Source has structural advantages versus standard commercial software, offering significant benefits especially in realizing an SOA.
Open Source creates flexibility
A best-of-breed concept is recommended for two sound reasons when realizing an SOA platform. Firstly, one should avoid vendor lock-in. Secondly, a fast response to business needs demands use of the best components for the case at hand. Only an open source-based SOA framework like SOPERA creates the openness required in a consistent manner.
Open Source brings innovation
The developers, firms and organizations operating in the open source environment stand out for their high agility and readiness to innovate. Open source communities that have achieved a critical mass can by all means stand comparison with the development departments of commercial manufacturers – or even beat them in terms of response time and innovation.
Open Source reduces costs
Total software costs can be reduced significantly by the use of open source. Not only does elimination of license costs with open source contribute here. Open source can also score points in the area of maintenance costs: The free competition between the open source service providers rules out premium prices from the very outset.
Open Source creates quality
Disclosure of the source code creates enormous quality pressure on every developer in the Open Source Community. Program errors are ruthlessly exposed in peer reviews. So with Open Source, the principle applies that: “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow�.1
1 Linus' Law according to Eric S. Raymond in “The Cathedral and the Bazaar“
