User:Judge

Linux is a very stable operating system. It is a very useless argument to compare two different technologies. Its a very simple supposition that Linux is growing and is definitely stable.

I will give a small explanation. Well if you know that when a software is developed it goes through various stages and one of the most important stages for any software to mature is its test stage. The more the tests are performed in different environments and on different architectures you will get different results. This is only possible when you let software to be tested by more number of people. No matter how many engineers a company may employ, the number will always be lesser than the internet community. The Linux Operating system is also some piece of software with multiple other softwares running over it. This is used by the entire world Internet and Computer Community. Its been tested on the remotest of the platforms which any one Company or Multinational can even think of testing their software on. Also the ethical issue behind developing FREE software is that you do not consider Software as a product but giving it as a service.

I remember from what I learnt in High School as well as in my College that in simplest words a product is anything you can touch and feel whereas a service is something you cannot. Well I suppose that you can definitely call a computer as a product since you can touch and feel it but is software really a product just because its provided on a CD thats tangible???

What is the issue behind keeping software from growing. If it weren't for a few great minds who thought of this and raged an Open war against the Proprietory Software world.

Every Operating System has its goods and bads as in its pro's and con's, but what is more important is your ethics behind using them. I suppose that in the Home PC market in most of Asia and many other third world countries people use software without even thinking about its licensing or any legal issues. The reasons are multiple and a few being lack of awareness, lack of controlling authority and cost amongst others. But when you come into the corporate world and look at the same picture its a bit different. You wouldnt risk your company by using pirated software. So whats the option??? Go for licensing and then another question which arises is, well the most important question for any organization and that is the Cost. So when you get software from a proprietory company how can you be so sure that they have tested it well enough and that it will pay off for the investment you do in the software. Well are you going to risk your investment to a Company???

Well it is a known fact that for every lock there is always a key otherwise its not a lock!!! So maybe there is a security mechanism which will always have a hack. Its how well you try to protect yourself. So do not really worry about the issues which are really secondary though very important.

Consider following an ethical route and then it may lead you through the proprietory way or the free way which is really not important as long as its done the correct way.