There are so many available open source options, yet 96% of the population (home users) choose to pay for their computer software needs. After experimenting with the various sources, I was impressed with their ability to keep up with the paid software. The only drawback is the lack of support since not enough people utilize the free software; therefore large companies neglect development for free operating systems.

What is ironic is that many businesses are utilizing free software to run their servers and also for development. I am creating this document on an old computer that was running slow and was too expensive to upgrade. I downloaded a free operating system that is simpler than its expensive counterpart and simplicity of OS means quicker response. I can surf the internet wirelessly or through wireless broadband. I can edit my Hubpages account and add this hub. There is photo editing software, office productivity and even programming development software. But, less than 2% of home users take advantage of free software (a large number of businesses do use free software).

I set up a home server that runs a blog, but there are also photo blogs and website downloads that are readily available. All this software would cost me thousands of dollars to purchase, but why would I spend that money?

An article appeared online about the French national police saving over 50 million euros by gradually switching over to free software. Many smaller organizations have already done so. As new versions of paid software are introduced, some minor training is needed for the employees, but why not train them on free programs? If a large organization which obtains over 10, 000 licenses a year can operate on open source, then so can the average person with less demands. Both Dell and HP have begun offering versions of open source software for the home consumer market. HP has already been offering open source for a while to the business consumer.

What turned me off of payed software was too much greed. I understand that businesses need to make a profit and I enjoy money too, but how much is fair? For example I wanted to purchase an additional license for some software that I purchased. I already had the fancy box plus manuals, multiple installation discs, etc... I figured that I could save a small amount of money, but when I contacted the vendor directly, they wanted $30 more than the full box version at the local retailer. I explained that I just wanted a number since I already had the discs and did not want to harm the environment with increasing trash, but that is their price. What I did not understand was how does a large computer retailer sell laptops with full versions of expensive software for such low prices. How can a $449 laptop contain an operating system worth $250 and other productivity software which collectively retails for over $200? Is the hardware free? The expensive software companies obviously provide a very hefty discount in order to push their products and then get greedy for retail sales. One of the reasons for a large discount is customer support. Software companies offer one free repair ticket with purchases and charge a hundred dollars for each additional ticket. Laptop and desktop retailers are responsible for your repair tickets, not the software companies for OEM installations. Software companies therefore provide a discount to hardware retailers. Why should any company charge you for fixing flaws in their software; flaws such as not being user friendly or missing packages after you have purchased a full version. Some open source organizations charge you for service as well, but it is still a cost savings for the consumer. Open source charges you once, whilst paid for software charges you twice, once for service and once for retail purchases. Open source communities also offer free fixes online.

This article provides several examples

I recently repaired a seven year old computer, but ran into difficulty with the software. New peripherals require new drivers that only work with newer operating systems. Newer operating systems require updated hardware (faster CPU, increased RAM...etc..); look at the system requirements of a new OS. So how do I solve my dilemma? The latest free software (released last month) works on my 7 year old system and contains new drivers for new peripherals. Paid for software works in conjunction with some hardware companies making your equipment obsolete very quickly. All that hardware would be trash since zero parts are interchangeable with new hardware. Organizations on a strict budget sometimes use old computers that must be operable with new peripherals. Free software could offer a solution for mixing old and new. Expensive software and hardware are designed to be functional together for a very narrow window of time; try connecting your parallel port printer to your USB or put a HCSD card into your SD digital camera. Older machines could work with your older peripherals and also squeeze a few years out of those pieces of hardware. Recycling old equipment protects the environment as well.

Testing new applications also puts propitiatory software at a disadvantage. You can try an open source application and easily remove it if you do not like, without any cost. Other software costs money to purchase and may be difficult to return after the package is opened. There are free trials for expensive software, but uninstallation is an issue that quite often deletes other needed files. I tried a newer version of an application, did not like and removed it; it also removed files and altered my options on the older version. Open source is usually backwards (and forwards) compatible because they have nothing to lose.

The biggest problem with most paid-for-software is that you did not buy it! You bought a subscription. Every 12 or 6 months, you get a window that you need to pay again. Open source lets you update easily.

Perhaps the most important reason for switching over to free software is the future. We need to familiarize ourselves with the open source community as it grows. Those that neglect it will be left behind; technology is not something that you want to be behind everyone else. If free software can do everything that other operating systems do, then why pay hundreds of dollars? If given a choice between free or expensive, people will choose free. It is lack of awareness that persuades people to spend large amounts of money. How much money are we talking about? An Operating system costs about $300 and is usually cheaper if it is pre-installed on your hardware. Word processing and office productivity cost between $150 to $400 for a package. Other programs for various tasks (photo, video, music... etc) cost from $50 to over $100 each. If you have a computer with a pre-installed OS and you purchase Office productivity software along with a couple of applications, you are spending at least $400 in software. If you are building a computer from scratch and get the more expensive software packages, you are spending over double. These estimates are for personal computers; server software along with website editing/publishing software is much more expensive. Free quickly becomes a more viable option. If the problem of awareness is overcome, then open source is the future. Where do you want to be?