Reliability

Open-source software is peer-reviewed software. It is exposed to extreme scrutiny, with problems being found and fixed instead of being kept secret until the wrong person discovers them. This peer-review process results in a code base that's more reliable than closed, proprietary software. Mature open-source code is as bulletproof as software ever gets.

The basic idea behind open source is very simple: When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing."

-- The Open Source Initiative(OSI)[.]

Security

With proprietary software, source code is 'closed' and support and future development of the product rely solely on the success and resources of a single vendor. If the vendor goes under, so does your product support.

In contrast, our open-source software products rely on stable code bases developed and supported by many providers worldwide. As a result, libraries using our products have more support options than those using proprietary software.

User-driven

Traditional vendors must focus on providing functionality improvements that meet the needs of the majority of their customers in a large and diverse market.

In contrast, open-source software features emerge from the community of users that have paid for or developed and contributed them. This makes open-source software development user-driven: you decide what features are important and deserve attention rather than a vendor.

Cost

Instead of paying licensing costs for proprietary solutions, users of open-source software can often deploy the product at no cost. They pay only for needed support or any additional product services they require.

Innovation

Because the code is open, users are free to innovate, improving the software to meet their needs. They can accomplish this either by joining the development process directly, or by paying software developers like LibLime to develop their ideas.

Free innovation also means that open-source software often has much faster development cycles when compared to proprietary software.

Collaboration

LibLime can assist libraries with development of any special functionality that they need. After development is completed, tested, and accepted, LibLime helps build the open-source community by contributing these functions back to the project so that other libraries can use and benefit from them. Additionally, LibLime customers benefit from the contributions paid for by other libraries. This software development model is library-driven; it allows libraries to benefit from many advanced technology solutions that they otherwise could not afford to develop themselves and still gives them the option to steer development if they so desire.