Why open source?

YouDo uses open source technology platforms such as Ruby on Rails, React, Node, Python, Angular and more to build our applications.  

Why did we choose to use the open source path rather than licensed platforms? There are a number of reasons:

1) Open source software (OSS) is flexible

OSS is inherently flexible, with the source code being freely available to the developer community, you can alter and extend this to match your needs.  This flexibility can be a double edged sword in the sense that it allows you to develop new applications without restrictions, but needs to be 'fed and watered' in terms of maintenance, configuration and support once deployed.

The benefits far outweigh the negatives, with OSS allowing organisations to avoid vendor lock-in and ensure that your application has a long term viability, with it only being discontinued when you no longer require it (or upgrade).

2) OSS is crowd sourced

OSS is created and supported worldwide by a community of developers and organisations who share the values of collaboration and volunteerism.  As a result of this global support, OSS is always cutting edge in terms of technology.  It also has the benefits of flexibility, freedom, security and cost... something that many proprietary software solutions cannot offer (at the same level).  

Due to the scale of OSS support, there are thousands of developers working on OSS at any time, each peer reviewing one an others work.  This brings about accountability for each contribution and ensures security.  As a result, any security holes are quickly patched.

3) Reliability

Due to the number of eyes running over the code base, the reliability tends to be superior to proprietary offerings.

4) Transparency

With the world moving towards a digital and data driven place, transparency is key.  With OSS you get full visibility into the code base as well as any discussions about how the developer community develops features or fixes bugs.

5) Its the way of the future...

Large organisations and governments are moving towards open source solutions around the globe.  Here in New Zealand, we are proud to see our Government creating a digital strategy which is based on using open source technology!  We are not alone either, with a total of seven countries (D7 group of Digital Nations) working towards open source.

Summary

YouDo have chosen to take the OSS path when providing our software services, as it gives us the flexibility to create unique applications to suit your purpose, without restrictions.  OSS supports YouDo's goal, which is to enable you to work smarter and concentrate on the things you love, rather than the mundane tasks that need to be done each day.

Got a question or want to know more?

If you would like to learn more about OSS or have a question, we would love to hear from you!  Contact us to learn more.