The open CD: organizational resources and documentation

¶ … product that can be found on the website www.openCD.org.The writer explores the website and products that it offers and argues that it and other sites like it can have a potentially negative impact on the software industry. There were three sources used to complete this paper.

The technological boom of the past few decades have provided business opportunities never before imagined. One of the businesses that has exploded has been the software industry. Software includes any program that is loaded onto a computer and performs specific functions. Some examples of software that has become popular over the years include games, word processing programs and accounting programs. There are many software programs available for purchase out there, and when one is purchased it is licensed and owned by the purchaser. The purchaser registers the software and that registration process records that the person has the legal right to use it.

Recently there have been websites springing up that offer software for free designed to compete with software for sale.

One of the more popular sites for that purpose is called www.OpenCD.org.At OpenCD interested parties can download various free software programs including games, word processing and Internet abilities.

While site is relatively new, as it gains popularity and others produce similar sites the software industry faces a potentially negative impact in the way of lost sales and revenue.

The Site

For one to understand how the site can have a negative impact on the software industry one needs to have an understanding about the site and how it operates.

OpenCD is a site that provides users with many different software options free of charge. Their site states that is holds a collection of high quality software that it will provide anyone interested free of charge.

It refers to its products as open source software, which "harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in (Open source (http://www.opensource.org/)."

It is software that has a source code which is available through an arrangement of public domain. The open source method allows users to change, use and distribute software for free and at will.

It is developed, improved upon and distributed through everybody who wants to becoming part of the process.

It allows any individual to make a copy and change the software and redistribute without license or registration or permission (Open source (http://www.opensource.org/).

With open source software the users are considered developers of the software and they are also allowed to submit their changes and improvements to the software as well as submit reports about its uses and problems.

The idea behind the concept of open source software is that if enough users become involved in its improvement and distribution then all the bugs will be found and corrected in a relatively short period of time.

Using this concept and format OpenCD provides several different types of software to its users that is constantly being improved upon. In addition the site offers the software to its users free of charge (www.theopencd.org).

The site alleges that it only allows the highest quality of software to be offered on the site after the programs have been tested to be sure they are stable, reliable and bug free.

The OpenCD project aims to introduce users of MS-Windows to the benefits of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). We include only the highest quality programs, which have been carefully tested for stability and which we consider appropriate for a broad audience. We provide a description and screen-shots of each program, so you can get an idea of what it does before installing (www.theopencd.org)."

The site works to make installation and uninstalling an easy clean process so that users do not have to worry about doing any damage to their computer in the process.

The site allows users to download the programs, use them as they are, or tweak them for improvement and credit the previous sources while distributing the new improved version.

According to the site there is no charge for use of the software programs found there however, users are able to charge others if they choose to sell the improved version that they come up with.

There is a staggering number of OSS projects out there. A typical source (Freshmeat) lists over 30.000 projects. There are also a vast number of Shareware and Freeware programs available that can be freely downloaded from the Internet (www.theopencd.org)."

This particular site however, offers programs that can rival some of the largest names in the software industry.

One example of this is the word processing program that the site offers its users. It states that the software is able to use and interface with Microsoft products.

Microsoft Office can cost an individual user several hundred dollars up to one thousand dollars. This program is able to perform similar form and function to Microsoft abilities which mean that users save multiple hundreds of dollars by using OpenCD instead of purchasing Microsoft.

The features of the site include the fact that the software is free. In addition there is the feature that the user can change and improve the software and if he or she desires to sell it to others that is legally allowed. The final feature of the software is the fact that it easily interfaces with some of the better known software companies which makes it universally enticing.