Create a 5 pages page paper that discusses the distribution of software. In the commercial closed source model of software development, although the software is purchased from the owner, the source code is not made available to the purchaser as the software is considered the owner’s intellectual property.

In the open-source software development model. however, the software is free and the source code is included within the software product distribution. The open-source license allows the users to make changes, customize and improve the software product and even redistribute it. Complete information about the changes made to the software is made available to the other developers. As the software is developed with many individuals’ collaboration, it becomes the intellectual property of all those who created and modified it.

Bug Removal:

Software products are hardly ever free of bugs. Although the development team removes the apparent bugs, they encounter during the testing phase, yet the bugs are never removed entirely. The testing phase of software is time-limited, and so are the test cases. The undetected bugs that surface during the actual execution pose a problem for the user.

In a proprietary software product, in case a bug is found, only the developers who developed the software can fix it as only they have access rights to the code. Thus, a certain level of dependability on the vendor is always present.

Since the code is fully accessible and adaptable in open-source software, the bugs can be spotted quickly and removed rapidly. When given enough reviewers, the bugs become somewhat visible (Raymond, 2000). Even in cases where the necessary skills are absent in-house since the code is available, any third party can be contracted to remove a bug.

Level of Security:

If the source code of a product is available to the user, he/she can select the security approach and allocate the respective resources. Given this, a limitation is present to the security features in the closed source model. On the contrary, in an open-source model, the ownership of security lies with the users. Any security approach that may not be present in the proprietary software can be enabled in the open-source product.