Published Paper Details:

Open-source software, considered generally 'Free' to use to the public, has many hidden costs attached to it when seen in a commercial environment in the disguise of licences. Almost all the software currently available in the market, either free or paid, has some licence attached to it which dictates the extent of its usability and modifiability by the program user. Open-source software does it in the way of setting the steps to be undertaken to maintain openness and ensure the availability of the source code of even the modified software under the same licence, whereas in the case of closed-source software, the company making the software gives out a licence in exchange of a royalty which dictates how software is to supposed to be used, the do's and don'ts of the software and the extent of users of the software. The licence requirements in the case of closed-source software are set by the company making the software. However, even the licences in the open-source community have to pass and accept some guidelines set by the community to maintain the true sense of open-source software. Furthermore, the companies who make the so-called proprietary software use open-source software in the mix to conserve their time and resources but, in turn, find themselves in the web of licence obligations of the open-source software and to fulfil those obligations, have to spend time and resource by also at the end risking the very nature of proprietary software by having to make it Open-source.