Squiz

Why Open Source?

The open source software movement is probably the single most significant development to the software industry ever.

Open source software is free.

Not only "Free of charge", but also "Freely distributed", "Freely accessible" and "Freely modifiable" - and it is this freedom that makes it so valuable.

Squiz chose to make most of its software open source not as a charitable act but as a sound commercial decision.

Some of the most successful software projects in the world are open source. Linux is probably the most famous, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Apache (the web server software), PHP (the language we build websites in) with PostgreSQL and MySQL (the databases we use to power our websites) are all examples of open source projects.

We don't use them because they are free - we use them because they are the best solutions in the world.

Low cost, flexible and better technology than commercially available products?

Exactly - that's why Squiz, IBM and many other companies prefer open source too.

Inevitably we are asked "So how do you make money?" The answer is simple. Squiz is a service business.

We design, code and manage projects at our clients' request. It just so happens that if we already have access to open source software that will do the job for you, you get it free, a process that leads to dramatic efficiencies in development speed and code stability.

CSC have published a series of excellent papers discussing the practical benefits of open source (see http://www.csc.com/features/2004/48.shtml). If you would like to learn more about the people who define the open source standard you can visit www.opensource.org.