Cost Efficiency | Stability | Flexibility | Freedom | Local Impact
Freedom from licensing changes
When you pay for proprietary software, you do not actually own it. Rather, you purchase a license for its use. The problem, of course, is that licensing terms can change.
Freedom from technology lock-in
Sometimes, a program's initial version is given away for free (or very cheap) to build-up users' dependency, which then can be exploited through expensive upgrades. Other times, a package that was initially released by a university is then bought-up by a for-profit company, and the licensing terms change. There is virtually no way to predict how licensing conditions will develop over the long term when it comes to proprietary software.
With free and open source software, this uncertainty does not exist. There are no licensing fees, and the conditions grant you the unlimited rights to use, distribute and modify programs.
