This type of support, however, is much less acceptable to corporate users, who are looking for accountability as well as maintenance and technical support. In both scenarios, the beneficiary is the end user. This is because any modifications would also have to be released under an open-source license as freely available code. OSS products are invariably controlled either by a single individual or a small developer group. The dependence on key individuals is greatly diminished because of source-code availability.
Commercial support is available for many open-source products.
Source-code availability reduces the risk of splintering and Balkanization. Contrary to common perceptions, OSS development is often tightly controlled. In addition, the availability of the source code and the requirement to share modifications promote longer-term viability, reduce the entry barriers for those offering services and support, and discourage Balkanization. We recommend that IS organizations that currently exclude all OSS from their acquisition plans should reexamine this policy. Inc. All rights reserved.