Open Source
The license model of open source software has been successfully established in commerce, industry and administration as well as in education. Today many applications are available as open source software for e-learning that have become more than competitive and cost effective and powerful alternatives to commercial software. There are also excellent solutions for learning platforms such as ILIAS.
Advantages
...cost is not the only factor
The discussion about the use of open source software is often cut down to the price advantage due to their free of charge availability. However, the cost advantage is quite considerable:
- No high initial investment required due to license fees
- No ongoing cost due to purchase of updates
Other important advantages of open source are often overlooked:
- Independence from a sole supplier. While in case of insolvency or merger of a commercial LMS supplier the existence of such software could be jeopardized, the open source software can be taken over and developed further by another independent business. This is due to the open source code that is available to anyone.
- Individual adaptations and ongoing development can easily be realised.
- Participation in ongoing development by the community
- Exchange of practical experience in the community
