Open Source Software

One of the most popular types of software  that is being rapidly adopted is Open Source Software.

Open source software is computer software that is available under an open source license to study, change, and improve its design. Although they can be commercial, most open source is free and can be downloaded from the internet.

Open source is generally funded by giving the software for free and instead charging for installation and support (used by many Linux distributions) or by providing related products or services.

Open source software offers alternatives tomany of the commercialy available software such as Operating Systems, Office Products (Word processors, Spreadsheets, presentation programs)  & drawing tools.

Open source vs. Commercial software

Making money through traditional methods, such as sale of the use of individual copies and patent royalty payment, is more difficult and sometimes impractical with open-source software.This complaint is countered by a large number of alternative

Studies about security in open-source software versus closed-source software show that closed-source software have fewer advisories but open-source software usually has less time between flaw discovery and a patch or fix. Advocates of closed source argue that since no one is responsible for open-source software, there is no incentive or guarantee it will be fixed, and there is nobody to take responsibility for negligence. Open-source advocates argue that since the source code of closed-source software is not available, there is no way to know what security vulnerabilities or bugs may exist.

Custom Software & Database Development

We can develop software tailored to your company's business needs. Usually, we design both the database that stores information and the programs to access the information. We have designed systems that are used over the internet, others which are available only to in-house staff and some which offer a mixture of the two.

Our first step is making sure we understand the business problem you face, and what it is you are trying to achieve. We then discuss possible solutions, and show how they would change the way your staff and business works. The next step is for us to write a detailed system specification which is the document we work from during development.

As the system is being written, we regularly show you the work in progress to ensure the system meets your expectations. Finally, when the software is complete, we train your staff and provide support and maintenance.

Software piracy

When you purchase software, you are purchasing a license to use the software, usually on a single computer.

Most people make the mistake of thinking that once they purchase software they can put it on as many computers or pass that software along to colleagues.

Under Software piracy regulation it is illegal to distribute or reproduction software applications for business or personal use, whether it is deliberate or not.

Students and many registered charities qualify for license discounts. We can audit your systems and make sure that your organisation is in compliance with current requirements.