Day Five - Open Source

I definitely support the philosophy behind Open Source software. I think it is important for all users of technology to be able to access comparable software for free. Generally my experiences with Open Source software have been favourable, with some exceptions.

I have been using Open Office for around a year now, and I actually find it a lot easier to use than Microsoft Office. Open Office is also compatible with Office, which makes it quite user-friendly, for those who have to switch between systems (e.g. home and office). It also has a 'convert to PDF' feature that is very handy. I have used Wordpress' free blogging software (the type that you upload to your domain), and find it simplifies website-creation dramatically. Through researching this topic I have also discovered that my smartphone runs on an Open Source OS (Symbian), and provides a great, customisable mobile platform. My experiences with Open Source software is often that it provides greater customisation, compared to competing software. I think this stems from the mentality that software should be free and open for anyone to change or manipulate, as opposed to the commercial ideals of selling software as a closed, complete package.

I have had some minor negative experiences with Open Source software though. Gimp, for example, I just cannot get my head around. I am used to the slick, user-friendly Photoshop interface, and am willing to pay to keep using the Adobe program. I have also used Linux OS, on a netbook I bought back when netbooks were only just making their debut. Although I found Linux generally simple to use, for basic tasks, like web-browsing and typing, I became frustrated by the difficulty of trying to install any kind of program onto my Linux netbook. After failing to connect the netbook with the Universities' WiFi, and being refused help by library staff on account of the fact that my OS was Linux, I was unable to use the netbook for the purpose it was intended for. So, on a negative aspect, Open Source software can sometimes be too complicated and unwieldy for the average person, and this can ruin the potential of a device.