Open Source Applications

It's all about freedom, baby!

Solasus has a long tradition of not only working with open source applications but also being an active member of many communities. Over the years we have made many code contributions to various applications we work with. There are many open source applications that we utilize on a regular basis. Here are just a few:

We believe there are many reasons to choose to work with open source software. Here are a few benefits:

• Cost - This is probably one of the first reasons that comes to mind when a client thinks "open source". Generally project can now be done in fraction of the cost it would take to develop from scratch.
• Support - Most commercial software vendors make money on the support they offer. Caveat emptor. The difference in the open source community is that programmers tend to be compensated based on their level of competence and service instead of their access to proprietary information which is closely held by the vendor. This results in better service to you and a much wider base of support professionals (often times tens of thousands).
• Security - Open source software is written by dozens of developers and reviewed by hundreds (if not thousands) more. Therefore security problems are often spotted and fixed quickly.
• Superior Features - Open source projects also tend to be very inclusive and receptive to new ideas. New features are suggested and often implemented by actual users. These features are not designed by a marketing team or in response to a survey, they are formulated by developers and customers actually using the software on the front-lines.
• Agility - Open source projects tend to be very agile. Bugs are often reported and fixed within days. Conversely, if you are using proprietary software, you are subject to the availability of the provider. Companies can go bankrupt and developers can flake out on you. With open source you already own the code and you can probably find another developer familiar with your technology without much difficulty.

With that in mind, if for any reason a client wishes to leave our service, they always are completely free to go. We will provide an archive of their entire code and database files.  We will even go so far as to point them in the direction where they may find other developers who might be able to step in and work on their projects.

Ultimately working with Solasus and open source is about... freedom!