Navigate 2.1.3 Commercial versus Open Virtual Classrooms Quest

Well ever heard of WordPress? I bring it up because WordPress is quite frankly one of the most well known and used open source programs. Now even though we do not look to WordPress to assist in synchronous learning (but who knows I am sure it might be some type of plugin for that). I bring it to attention because to answer the question of our quest an open source application might and will take precedence over a commercial product when it is evaluated and determined that the open source product is more suitable for the user needs.

Both Commercial and Open Source have their pros and cons.

Commercial

Pros

• Typically more reliable
• Have predictable date of release and updates
• Ordinarily consistent and easy access to support
• Robust features
• Normally more training materials or support to aid end users
• Better security offerings that open source programs

Cons

•  Higher cost associated 
• May require additional add-ons
• In some instances to many features that are not use
• Size of programs that require download can take up more space
• May have different embedded functionality on different operating systems

Open-Source

Pros

• Have comparable functionality to commercial software
• Can be used on relatively low or no budgets as termed "free"
• Typically built on community collaboration of needs
• Can have additional features that are more commercial as "upgrade" or "premium" services. 

Cons

• Less secure than commercial products
• No guarantee of future developments of software 
• Less accountability on usage and licensing 
• Limited support and integration ability