Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
existing hardware, operating systems, and other legacy technologies. Another key issue is support,
as measured by the responsiveness of the vendor or developer to calls for help by way of phone, e-
mail, or the Web. Product functionality, a reflection of the software's ability to supply needed tools,
adherence to standards, licensing terms, and cultural fit should be considered. For example, a tool
designed for Microsoft Windows, even though functional, may not fit into the culture of a lab using
computers based on the Linux operating system.
Figure 10-6. Product Selection Criteria for a typical commercial product
with a hypothetical comparison of a commercial and academic or open-
source product.
The comparison of any two software products should be performed on a case-by-case basis. The
hypothetical comparison of two products illustrated in
Figure 10-6
highlights the key issues of
support, licensing arrangements, price, and cost in deciding between commercial and open-
source/academic products. For example, even though the purchase price of a commercial database
may be several thousand dollars, compared to a free open-source database, the overall cost of the
open-source software to the laboratory may be greater. The initial purchase price plus any annual
licensing and maintenance fees have to be balanced against the internal resources that would likely
be required to properly configure and maintain open-source software. Depending on the maturity and
popularity of the open-source software and the availability of computer-savvy staff, it may be less
expensive over the operating lifetime of the software to purchase a commercial product. Because the
availability of affordable assistants who are willing to work with, modify, and maintain non-
commercial products differs from lab to lab and institution to institution, there isn't a clear rule for
when to make the extra up-front investment in a commercial product.
Many open-source products, such as PERL, Python, and Linux are technically solid, with large user
