| |||
| | | |
| |
Open source vs. commercial CMS
On the Contentmanager.days 2002 in Leipzig it could be seen more than clearly: the interest in alternatives which are free of charge compared to the conventional, partly expensive WCMS is increasingly growing. Apart from a presentation and a lot of discussions regarding this subject also a supplier took part, who preferably uses the free application server Zope and has implemented it at a great number of customers. The trails which the federal government, like also many other governments, have blazed, are obvious: open source offers a lot of chances, which should be taken advantage of, especially in economically difficult times. What is open source? The definitions of the open source term are different. The meaning of the term has to be interpreted in a broader sense than only "available in the source code" - which would correspond to a literal translation. The open source initiative (http://www.opensource.org) has defined the open source term more exactly on the basis of nine aspects, with the aim to distinguish between "real" open source licences (like the GPL) and "false" open source licences. To classify an open source licence as "real", it has to fulfil three core criteria:
This open source term is generally acknowledged and is used correspondingly in the community. The discussion whether applications, which are available in the source code, however, which may not be transferred free of charge and may not be modified, does not make sense, because here the thought, which stands behind the term "open source", is undermined. Disadvantages of commercial licences compared to open source The reasons to apply open source software (OSS) are diverse. Often OSS is selected to compensate disadvantages of commercial solutions and to use the advantages of OS. These disadvantages can be found in the following areas: Costs For commercial WCMS licence costs are to be paid, which mostly compared to the implementation costs are only slightly below or the same. Furthermore mostly annual maintenance fees incur. Safety Commercial systems are mostly "closed source", which means they cannot be seen in the source code. Thus possible safety gaps or safety-relevant defective functions cannot be seen in the source code in advance and even be corrected. Stability + performance Open source systems mostly have a much broader installation basis than commercial systems. Therefore they are tested more extensively and optimised through these experiences. Support In case of commercial WCMS the support is liable to costs. Mostly forums or mailing lists for the exchange among each other do not exist. Advantages of commercial licences compared to open source However, there are clear advantages at the use of commercial systems, which open source applications cannot offer. These advantages are: Safety for the future The development of an open source system can be stopped at any time, because some developers do not have any time or interest in this project any more. By means of a corresponding contract draft a further development for a certain period of time can be safeguarded in the commercial sector. Development know-how The development company of the WCMS can carry out modifications of the software at any time and implement customer projects, because extensive programming knowledge exists here. In the open source area the procurement of programming with the used skills often is a problem. Stability + performance Open source CMS are often not developed by professional developers and are not professionally tested. Therefore it is possible that problems occur in the area of stability and performance due to inept programming. Guarantee For open source products there is no guarantee. Support With the support reaction times can be agreed, which imply delicate contractual penalties in case of non-observance - therefore an extensive support is guaranteed. Typical problems at open source systems Open source WCMS cover with their functionality 70-80% of the functionalities, which are used most frequently. Only few used functions are rarely implemented. However, there are some weak spots, which occur very often. On the basis of the feature matrix the graphic shows where there are frequent weak spots of OS WCMS. These weak spots mostly result from concept weaknesses in the systems. These especially occur in the field of database design, so that all functionalities, which are combined with them, lead to more or less strong problems. The reason for this often is to be found in the fact that one starts programming work at OSS without a professional project management and planning "in the open countryside". Especially errors in the database sector, however, are very difficult to compensate at a later stage.  Illustration: WCMS - Featurematrix
Integration of open source in the selection process For this reason, also open source systems should be integrated in a professional and extensive CMS selection, because they often offer an appealing alternative to commercial CMS. During a selection process the open source systems have to assert themselves over the commercial ones, like the commercial systems also have to do among each other. After the selection one can be sure to have the right system - no matter if open source or commercial. At the assessment of the open source system, however, also the price has to be included, because even missing functionalities can perhaps be integrated more economically in an open source CMS, which leads to purchasing a commercial one, which offers these functionalities. Open source vs. commercial CMS? Commercial systems will not be replaced by OSS. Rather the decision will be decisive at a professional selection process whether also an open source system fulfils the requirements of the WCMS, which is to be introduced. 03/2004, Jörg Dennis Krüger
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © 1999-2008 FEiG & PARTNER | Disclaimer | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |   |
|
| ||
| know how news events | |
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
