subject: Five Reasons Why Open Source Website Design Rocks [print this page] Just a decade ago, most businesses believed that open source website design worked only for small and mid-sized business. However, different types of open source technologies like WordPress, Drupal, Magento, Joomla and ZenCart have evolved over the last few years. These technologies, in additional to several similar open source technologies, have made it possible to develop and design high-end websites and web portals for small, medium and large-scale businesses.
As a consequence of the advances in the open source technologies for website design, an open source web design company can help you design a website for a lot lesser cost. Apart from cost, there are several other benefits of using open source tools and technologies for designing websites. The following are the most significant benefits offered of open source:
The Cost Advantage
This is one of the most obvious and important advantage of using open source technologies. You do not have to pay any kind of licensing fees for this software you use. In most cases, you can simply download the software within a few minutes and use it to design and develop your websites. Using proprietary software entails you to pay hefty licensing fees. But by using free software, you can get the same quality of web design for a lot less money.
Flexibility
One of the major disadvantages of using proprietary software is that you cannot change any of its parts to fit your needs. Even in the few cases where it is possible to makes changes, it is a lengthy and tedious process. An open source web design company can make any changes they want to the software, and they can mold the software to fit your specific business needs. But that's just tip of a lovely iceberg open source software also allows you to integrate several other technologies and tools within the website. You can choose the best tools and merge them together to create the perfect website.
Developer Community
The best open source website design technologies are improved every day. Hundreds of thousands of developers make improvements and provide enhancements to open source technologies like Joomla, Drupal, and Magento. As so many people are using the technology, it is easy to find answers to any development problems. If there is some problem in any part of your website, chances are that many others have faced similar problems. There are several forums where you can get answers and solutions to your questions and problems. Also, it is easy to get free plug-ins or enhancements for your website.
Ease of Usage
An open source website design is created keeping in mind the needs of the end users. It is extremely easy, even for a non-technical person, to manage an open source website. This is because the website is customized to fit his exact needs. In addition, most open source technologies (for example, WordPress) are created keeping in mind the needs and skill sets of a layperson. Consequently, it is a lot easier to manage a website designed using open source technology.
Offshore Development Options
Not many offshore companies offer development services for proprietary software. However, owing to the complete absence of licensing hassles, thousands of software development companies offer open source website design services. It is not difficult to find a reputed and dependable open source web design company. This will help you build powerful, attractive and effective websites for substantially lower rates.