From the course: Protecting Your Network with Open-Source Software
Unlock the full course today
Join today to access over 24,700 courses taught by industry experts.
Open-source vs. commercial software
From the course: Protecting Your Network with Open-Source Software
Open-source vs. commercial software
- [Instructor] There are trade offs you're making by using open source software over its commercial counterparts. Let's talk about the advantages first. Of course, the most obvious one is the fact that it's free. But is it really free? Aren't there any hidden costs? We'll investigate this question more in depth later. Another strength is its transparency, which contributes to security. Users can access the source code and know exactly what they are getting into. Usually there's a vibrant community of developers supporting an open source product who also monitor security defects. If there is a known bug, they know about it. As a result, security vulnerabilities don't linger too long. Commercial software is like a black box. Nobody knows other than its developers what's in it, which introduces many uncertainties and potential for design flaws and coding errors. When it comes to disadvantages, one of the biggest is support. Yes, driving open source communities do exist and they're…
Practice while you learn with exercise files
Download the files the instructor uses to teach the course. Follow along and learn by watching, listening and practicing.