8/18/2012

Open source is a lot more safe than you might imagine...

There are many people who seem to believe that software that's released as open source isn't safe, or as reliable, since anyone can see and modify the source code. The truth is that it isn't like that at all, since open source software has been shown to be at least as reliable as it's closed source counterparts.

It might sound counterintuitive, but it works because there are many people working on open source software to make it reliable and safe. And since the code is there for anyone to see, it becomes that much harder to put any malicious code into it without someone noticing. So, if there is any change in code that is harmful, it can be detected a lot sooner by someone scanning the code.

And since open source projects tend to rely on a few coders to work on it, any new contribution by someone that doesn't normally contribute code is routinely checked for anything that could be harmful. There is a difference between allowing people to contribute valuable code to the project, and just admitting whatever happens to be submitted.

That people work together to a common goal, is what makes open source code so great. Software made through open source becomes property of those who make it, and those who use it.

There is always a risk of malicious code getting through, but this risk is greatly mitigated by the amount of people working to keep it out. All that people is working for the common goal of making the software they use, and sometimes love, as safe and reliable as it can possibly be.

So when you use open source software, you're putting your trust not just on a those who originally make the software. You're also putting your trust on all the community that works on it outside that original group.

And if that isn't enough, you can always personally make sure your software is as safe as you want it to be.

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