Bright Future & Strong Growth for Open Source Web Development According to Opace

“Open source software is the way forward and has been since day one for us here at Opace” says David Bryan, Managing Director at Birmingham-based digital agency, Opace. The company, which specialises in web design and eCommerce development, proudly bases their entire business model and delivery around open source, believing it offers the best opportunities for both innovation and ground breaking developments. With 78% of companies now running some kind of open source software (according to the 2015 Future of Open Source survey), it’s looking like they could be onto something great.

What is Open Source Software?

The concept of open source software is fairly straightforward. Those who use open source are able to extend and improve it, contributing to its upkeep. Essentially, they can be thought of as software co-developers. Whereas bespoke software tends to be seen as quite rigid, open source software offers unparalleled flexibility. As well as being able to do what they like with the software. If problems arise, they can simply ask the community for help, rather than having to follow a long and potentially expensive reporting process with a single provider.

Benefits of Open Source

One of the benefits businesses will be keen to hear is that the majority of open source software is free, making it an ideal choice for those on a budget. Unlike with proprietary software there are usually no licenses to pay or costs for upgrades and downloads. The only charges incurred are those a business chooses to pay by working with an open source specialist or third-party.

Of course, being free of charge is not open source software’s only benefit. The fact that there is a community of users and develops means that it’s constantly subject to improvement. Encounter a problem with the software one week and there’s a high chance that it’ll be fixed by the next.

This way of working gives open source software significant security advantages. With so many eyes on the software, small security issues are spotted and patched more quickly than with regular software, often before users have even noticed there’s a problem.

Open source software also offers limitless options in terms of customisation. Unlike with proprietary software there are no rules. Users can do whatever they like with their websites, databases or software they are creating and have access to a massive range of plugins, extensions and templates, many of which can be downloaded for free or purchased for a small additional cost.

“In our opinion, the biggest benefit of all for businesses is protection of their investment. With open source software, they can have the peace of mind that their website is 100% in their control. Use proprietary software or a bespoke solution and there is always a chance of getting locked-in with commercial contracts or a specific supplier, who can technically charge as much as they like because it’s their code and they know you can’t go elsewhere. Users also have the benefit of portability and support, knowing that they can always get help from forums or tap into a highly competitive market of local specialists, without being held to ransom” claims David.

Transforming the World Wide Web

What started out as a simple idea has gone on to completely transform the World Wide Web. Critical projects like Apache (the world’s first open source server) and PHP (a scripting language essential to web development) set the baseline for open source development and the idea has been taken from there, with boundaries being pushed beyond what anyone could ever have imagined.

Shortly after these initial developments in open source software came content management (CMS) solutions like WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, which have arguably revolutionised the way in which many businesses create and run their websites. Whereas in the past a business owner would struggle to manage their own website content in-house, now thanks to these open source CMS solutions, it’s easier than ever before.

Of course, a discussion on open source software could not be had without mentioning its impact on the world of eCommerce. Thanks to open source software like Magento offering greater power to merchants, the industry has experienced vast changes and eCommerce has been taken to a whole new level.

Those needing proof of open source software’s success and widespread use need look no further than the likes of Google and Facebook. Both of these online giants produce open source projects and rely on Apache, PHP, Linux and other free solutions to run their companies.

The figures speak for themselves

The 2015 Future of Open Source survey found that 43% of respondents said that open source software provides better competitive features, 43% said that it provides greater ease of deployment and 58% said that it affords the greatest ability to scale, when compared to proprietary alternatives. The figures speak for themselves, showing that businesses are keen to use open source software, as they believe it offer significant benefits over more traditional proprietary software.

The future of Open Source Software

Over the last five years, the use of open source software to run business IT environments has increased by 200% and 50% of business owners say that their engineers are already working on open source projects. This is only set to get bigger and bigger, with 88% of company owners expecting their teams to contribute to open source projects over the coming years.

The concept of community participation is something that is being rolled out across the entire web. You only need to look at websites like Kickstarter, which encourages crowdfunding to raise capital for products and services, to see that. Whilst different to open source software, the concept is very similar — offering users the opportunity to get involved, share their skills and reap benefits as a community. With so much freedom and flexibility, one could question why anyone would ever use proprietary methods in this day and age?

Open Source Software has experienced tremendous growth over the years and is clearly the way forward for businesses, with 66% saying they consider open source software before proprietary software alternatives. The benefits it offers, which include limitless customisation, flexible choices and great scalability, simply can’t be matched by proprietary software and not understanding or being open to open source could be a costly mistake for businesses.

Finding the best Open Source Software for your website

Choosing an open source platform for your website is not a walk in the park, not because there aren’t enough great options out there but rather because there are so many. “Opace assists its clients in selecting their open source platform and components through careful consideration of their needs and requirements. Those after a simple blog or content publishing website are often matched with WordPress, known for its ease of use and growing popularity with businesses all over the world. For larger, more complex sites, WordPress is still a fantastic option but there is also Joomla to consider, both offer a wide range of themes and extensions. When it comes to selling online, there’s really no better choice than Magento” says David.

He continues, “It’s the world’s leading eCommerce platform for a reason. With great out of the box functionality, access to thousands of extensions and excellent scalability, it’s an open source platform that businesses of all sizes can benefit from.”

A bright future for Open Source

If the results from the 2015 Future of Open Source survey are anything to go by then people have great confidence in open source software and can only seeing it grow stronger and stronger. Results found that 57% anticipate increased quality of open source software, 61% expect its security to improve and 52% expect it to become even easier to use.

“Taking these figures into consideration, along with our vast experience working with open source software, it’s hard to see a world where open source software isn’t the leading solution. As far as Opace is concerned, the future is bright for open source software, which is great news for our team here who put it at the heart of everything we do.” says David Bryan.