Effects of Open-Source Software on the Quality of Software Products (Essay Sample)

Effects of Open-Source Software on the Quality of Software Products
Open- source software has undoubtedly increased the quality of most software products in the market. The software avails the source code to anyone thus permitting them to study, evaluate and modify the programs according to their preferences. While studying the source code, most programmers assess if any loophole exist and then attempt to fix the problem. The developers produce a great number of different solutions and thus enhance the quality of the source code. The community of developers is advantageous as it increases the probability of locating loopholes and creating viable solutions (Gokhale, Schmidt, Krishna, Porter, Memon and Yilmax 1).
Most open-source softwares have high-quality characteristics that increase not only the speed, but also track changes/progress. The core and periphery structures in the software use minimal time when following changes and debugging the system. The Linux OS is a good example of this; its periphery structure detects the loophole and transmits the information to the core. The core developer acts on this data and provides a solution in just a few minutes. The software also has applications that provide excellent analysis and validations methods. An example of such a program is the white box that provides geospatial analysis (Gokhale et. al 2)
The allowance warranted by the open- source software is another way of enhancing the quality. Granting programmers/public the permission to modify the source code reduces the limitation of the programs. The developers alter the aspects of the source code fixing possible problems without intending to (Gokhale et. al 2). They also become creative and innovative thus coming up with various more advanced versions of the source codes. Open-source software creates room for scrutiny and criticism that result in constant alterations that perfect and update the source code.
Work Cited
Gokhale Aniruddha, Porter Adam, Yilmaz Cemal, Memon Atif M., Krishna Arvind S. and Schmidt Douglas C. Techniques and Processes for Improving the Quality and Performance of Open-Source Software. University of Maryland, Vanderbilt and University College Park, MD Nashville, TN