Open-source

Open-source (or, being alternatively spelt, open source; also known as free and open source or, originally, open source software; hereinafter, OSS) is an adjective or adjective-based noun derived from open-source software that denotes software for which its source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified, most often, under some open-source license.

It is believed that about 88% of those enterprises that use any software, use one or more OSS projects. Reportedly, 94% of the users would like to contribute back to the OSS development; however, only 16% actually contribute.

Advantages

OSS projects vary, but their advocates usually mention one or more of the following reasons for using those:

1. Helpful community;
2. Popularity with developers in general;
3. Maturity of the solution;
4. An open-source license;
5. Community guidelines;
6. Reading potentially helpful use cases online;
7. Frequent activity.

Disadvantages

1. Rarely, the users of the open-source have no formal policy for selecting or integrating open-source software;
2. The biggest challenges of adopting open source were unclear documentation, lack of documentation, and the lack of external resources (such as tutorials or presentations on third-party sites).

Implementation practices

1. Build the competence: solve real problems, make it easy to use, and find a community of passionate users;
2. Maintain the project like a garden, which needs constant tending such as updating and bug-handling and weed control such as establishing and supervising of community guidelines;