Table 2.

Implications of the differences in proprietary and open source software development methods

Aspect	Proprietary software	Open source software
Cost drivers	Competitors, value added	Development costs
Typical upgrade frequency	When competing products or serious bugs threaten – annual	When new release tested and robust – bimonthly
Use of proprietary tools, data formats	Frequent	Discouraged
Consequences of developer, company abandoning area	Catastrophic (even if source code deposited in escrow)	Not applicable
Software selling points	“Creeping featurism”	Robust, tested, user-centered software
Suitability for safety-critical applications	Only if relevant development and testing methods followed	Only if relevant user and developer community engaged
Risk of monopoly	Low to medium	Low
Ability of purchaser to influence quality, cost, upgrades	Low to medium	Medium to high
Training issues	Applications distinctive, specific training usually needed	Less training: generic look and feel so applications resemble one another
Process for tailoring to local needs	Pay remote software developer and wait	Ask local member of developer team and wait