Spec & Goals 3 min
AQA Spec 3.8.1 — Open source vs proprietary software licensing
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Define open source and proprietary software.
- Compare their advantages and disadvantages.
- Recommend a licence type for a given situation.
Warm-Up 5 min
Copyright lets a creator choose how their software may be used. That choice is set by the licence — and the big split is open source vs proprietary.
Quick starter
One web browser lets anyone read and change its source code for free; another keeps its code secret and is sold by one company. Which would a developer prefer to build on?
Reveal the idea
The open one — they can read and modify the source code. That's open source; the secret, paid one is proprietary.
Key Concept — two licence models 14 min
Proprietary (closed source) software is owned by a company; the source code is kept secret and users buy a licence to use it. Open source software is released with its source code, free to use, study, change and share.
| Open source | Proprietary | |
|---|---|---|
| Source code | Available to all | Kept secret |
| Cost | Usually free | Usually paid (licence) |
| Can modify it? | Yes — anyone can | No |
| Support | Community / forums | Official paid support |
| Examples | Linux, Firefox, LibreOffice | Windows, Microsoft Office, Photoshop |
Advantages & disadvantages
| Open source | Proprietary |
|---|---|
| + Free; can be customised; community improves it; transparent. | + Official support & updates; tested, polished; clear accountability. |
| − Support may be limited; needs skill to modify; varied quality. | − Costs money; can't change it; locked to one vendor. |
Worked Example — pick a licence 12 min
Problem: Recommend open source or proprietary for each, with a reason.
| Situation | Recommend | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A startup with no budget and skilled developers. | Open source | Free, and they can customise the code themselves. |
| A hospital needing guaranteed support and reliability. | Proprietary | Official support, accountability and tested updates. |
| A school computing club learning how software works. | Open source | Students can read and modify the source code to learn. |
| A design firm needing industry-standard, supported tools. | Proprietary | Polished, widely used, with vendor support. |
Try It Yourself 12 min
Goal: Define open source and proprietary software, with an example of each.
Goal: Give two advantages of open source and two of proprietary software.
Goal: A charity must choose office software on a tight budget but has little technical staff. Recommend a type and justify it, noting one risk.
📝 Exam Practice 10 min
Define open source software.
Mark scheme
- Software released with its source code, free to use, modify and distribute (1).
Compare open source and proprietary software in terms of cost, source code and support.
Mark scheme
- Cost — open source usually free; proprietary usually paid (1).
- Source code — open source available/modifiable; proprietary secret (1).
- Support — open source community; proprietary official/paid (1).
- A clear contrast across at least two of these dimensions (1).
Explain one reason a large bank might choose proprietary software over open source.
Mark scheme
- It comes with official, guaranteed support and accountability (1).
- Important for reliability/security of critical financial systems (1).
Recap & Key Terms 3 min
Proprietary software is closed-source, paid, and officially supported. Open source software shares its source code free to use and modify, supported by a community. Open source suits tight budgets and customisation; proprietary suits those needing reliability and official support.
- Proprietary software
- Closed-source software used under a paid licence, with official support.
- Open source software
- Software released with its source code, free to use, modify and share.
- Source code
- The human-readable program code; open in open source, secret in proprietary.
- Software licence
- The terms setting out how software may be used and shared.
Homework 1 min
Task (≤ 15 min): List three open source and three proprietary programs you've used. For one of each, write one advantage you experienced.
Model answer (example)
Open source: Firefox, VLC, GIMP. Proprietary: Windows, MS Office, Photoshop. Firefox advantage: free and extendable with add-ons. Office advantage: polished, well supported and the workplace standard.
Award marks for: three of each correctly classified (2); a valid advantage for one of each (1).