From the course: Protecting Your Network with Open Source Software

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Open-source vs. commercial software

Open-source vs. commercial software

From the course: Protecting Your Network with Open Source Software

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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? Isn't there any hidden costs? We'll investigate this question more in depth in the next lesson. Another strength is its transparency, which contributes to security. Users have access to the source code and know exactly what they are getting into. Usually, there's a vibrant community of developers supporting an open source of their product who also keep an eye on 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 what's in it which introduces many uncertainties and potential for design flaws and coding errors. When it comes to disadvantages, one of the…

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