Open Source Software

The popular myth surrounding Free Open Source Software is that it is always free / free of charge.
To a certain degree this is true.
Open Source software does not require a licensing fee for usage like the traditional software.
Ex: many Linux distributions (Red Hat, SuSE, Debian, etc.) can be obtained at no charge off the Internet.

On a licensing cost basis, Open Source software applications are almost always cheaper than proprietary software.
However, licensing costs are not the only costs of a software package or infrastructure.
It is also necessary to consider personnel costs, hardware requirements, opportunity costs and training costs.
Often referred to as the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), these costs give the clearest picture of the savings from using Open Source software.

But the lower TCO cost is not the only criteria you should choose Open Source Software.
Other important criteria is your privacy and security concern.
Using Open Source software you will always get full access to the software sources to ensure 100% transparency.
This will ensure you having full control of your software.