Selecting Proprietary, Open Source, or Free Software for Business Information SystemsAt first glance, the question above would probably lead you to believe that proprietary software should be the obvious choice when selecting between different types simply because of the reference to the most important words. You can also look at the definitions of the three and be convinced that proprietary software seems more compelling than others. However, given recent developments in software in general, I have to agree with those who argue that open source should be the first choice for any type of software, and that considering proprietary software should only be an option only if they have very specific and specific requirements. valuable features that the open source solution does not offer. [1]Proprietary software is defined as computer software in which the producer has set restrictions on use, private modification, copying or republication. Open source and free software is pretty much the opposite, source codes are made available allowing the user to use, modify, improve and redistribute them in unmodified or modified form . These definitions initially led me to believe that proprietary software was more secure than other software because of the unavailability of its code. Recent observations, however, have shown that even proprietary software developers are beginning to realize that open source software development is so successful that proprietary companies are paying attention to integrating open source strategies into their business models. [3] These observations have led to the development of hybrid software with elements of proprietary and open source software. In fact, we are already... middle of paper ...... there is undeniably increasing adoption of open source, ... Microsoft is building a hybrid open source software development model... June 11 , 2008 ...http://www.linux.com/feed/138010 - 27k - Cached - Similar pages5. Open source software: Retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software6. Open source versus free software: retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_vs._free_software7. Open source vs. proprietary: Both have advantages By John Carroll, Special to ZDNet, retrieved May 19, 2008 from [http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/0,2000061733,39148762,00.htm ] 8. How the software economy is driven by proprietary work By John Carroll, Special to ZDNet, retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/How_the_software_economy_is_driven_by_proprietary_work/0 ,2000061733,39148761,00.htm