The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Proprietary vs. Open-Source JavaScript UI Framework
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is open-source software?
- What is closed-source (proprietary) software?
- What’s the difference between open-source software and other types of software?
- Doesn’t “open source” simply mean “free”?
- What should be considered when developing enterprise software?
- Why choose a proprietary framework over open-source?
- Enterprise-grade security
- Dedicated support and training resources
- High code quality
- Ext JS: A powerful UI JavaScript framework for enterprises
- Accelerate development speed and increase quality
- Beautiful UI for efficient prototyping
- Robust data package
- Professional services and support
- Try Sencha Ext JS free for 30 days
Introduction
When you set out to create a digital solution, whether it’s a website, software, web application, or mobile app, your journey will begin with a flood of decisions. Some of these will be straightforward and even enjoyable. Others will be so significant that they will have far-reaching consequences for your overall strategy.
One of the first and most important decisions you’ll need to make regarding your solution is what tools you’ll use to construct it. Should you utilize something free and adaptable, or should you buy something ready-made in a box? In the development world, this decision begins with a single choice: open-Source versus closed-source (or proprietary) software.
For years, the argument over open- versus closed-source software has raged on. Here are some facts and benefits of open and closed sources to assist you in making a more informed business decision.
Let’s get right to it!
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What is open-source software?
Open-source software is software that makes the source code available for anyone to view, edit, and improve.
“Source code” is a part of the software that most computer users never see; it is the code that computer engineers create to determine how a piece of software—a program or application—works. Programmers who have access to the source code of the software can improve it by adding features or fixing areas that don’t function properly.
What is closed-source (proprietary) software?
Closed-source software is proprietary software with a licensing agreement for approved users that establishes private modification, copying, and republishing limitations.
In other words, the source code is not made available to the public for inspection or modification.
Closed source is the type of arrangement you’d anticipate from most firms who are protective of their products and want to preserve control over their brands and the user experience they provide to their clients. Consider Apple over Android.
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What’s the difference between open-source software and other types of software?
Some software contains source code that can be modified only by the individual, team, or organization that produced it and retains exclusive control over it. This type of software is referred to as proprietary or closed source.
Only the original developers of proprietary software have the legal right to copy, inspect, and modify it. And, in order to use proprietary software, computer users must promise (typically by signing a license shown the first time the software is installed) that they will not do anything with the software that the software’s makers have not specifically approved. Examples of proprietary software are Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.
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Open-source software is unique. Its developers make its source code open to anybody who wants to examine, copy, learn from, edit, or distribute it. Open-source software includes LibreOffice and the GNU Image Manipulation Program.
Users must accept the terms of a license when using open-source software, just as they must with proprietary software, but the legal provisions of open-source licenses differ considerably from those of proprietary licenses.
Open-source licensing influences how individuals use, study, alter, and distribute software. In general, open-source licensing allows computer users to use open-source software for whatever purpose they want. Some open-source licenses, known as “copyleft” licenses, require anybody who distributes a modified open-source software to also provide the source code for that program. Furthermore, some open source agreements require anybody who modifies and distributes software to likewise provide the source code without charging a licensing fee.
Because they allow others to make changes to source code and incorporate those changes into their own projects, open-source software licenses encourage cooperation and sharing by design. They encourage computer programmers to use open-source software anytime they choose, as long as they allow others to do the same when they contribute their work.
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Factors
Open-source
Closed-source
Customization
Options
Software is completely
configurable, yet it is subject
to the open-source license.
Requires in-house expertise.
Requests for changes must be
addressed to the firm that sells
the program. This contains
bug repairs, new features, and
enhancements.
Security
Anyone can study the source
code. There is a popular belief
that having more eyes on the
code makes it more difficult for
problems to survive. Security
issues and weaknesses, on the
other hand, may still exist and
constitute a substantial danger.
Depending on the conditions
of the service-level agreement
(SLA), the firm distributing
the program (i.e., the software
owner) promises a particular
degree of assistance. There
may be security vulnerabilities
because the source code is
not available for scrutiny. If
problems are discovered, it
is the software distributor’s
responsibility to resolve them.
Popularity
Some open-source solutions
are quite popular, often leading
the industry (e.g., Linux,
Apache).
Proprietary software is more
popular in some businesses,
especially if it has been on the
market for a long time.
Interoperability
with other
open-source
applications
This will vary depending on the
group’s level of maintenance
and aims, but it is usually
preferable to closed-source
software.
The development standards
will determine this.
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Factors
Open-source
Closed-source
Community Involvement
The core of open source is that
the community participates
in the development, review,
critique, and advancement of
software.
The community is closed.
User-friendliness
While open source is typically
less user-friendly, this might
vary depending on the project’s
aims and the individuals
responsible for its upkeep.
As a for-profit product,
flexibility and user experience
are frequently important
factors, so the closed source is
usually more user-friendly.
The total cost of
ownership (TCO)
TCO is lower and more upfront
owing to little or no usage
costs, and it is determined by
the degree of maintenance
required.
The TCO is substantially greater
and is determined by the
number of users.
Upgrades or new
features
If necessary, the user can create
them.
The software owner must be
contacted.
Considerations
for financial
institutions
The financial industry often
avoids open-source solutions. If
utilized, a screening procedure
must be followed.
The majority of financial firms
favor proprietary software.
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Factors
Open-source
Closed-source
Production
environment
suitability
In a large-scale production
context, open-source software
may not be well designed or
tested technically
Most proprietary software is
subjected to many rounds
of testing. However, when
implemented in a production
setting, things might still go
wrong.
Price
license and usage fees are little
to none.
The cost varies according to the
size of the program.
Warranty
No warranty is available.
Warranties are best for
businesses with security
policies that need a guarantee
and liability indemnification.
Tax calculation
Tax calculations are difficult
due to undefined monetary
value.
Tax calculations are definite.
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Doesn’t “open source” simply mean “free”?
No. This is a prevalent misperception about what “open source” means, and the consequences of the notion go beyond economics.
Programmers can charge for open-source software that they build or contribute to. However, because an open-source license may force them to reveal their source code when selling software to others, some programmers find that charging consumers money for software services and support (rather than the product itself) is more profitable. As a result, their software stays free, and they earn money by assisting others in installing, using, and troubleshooting it.
While some open-source software is free, knowledge of developing and debugging open-source software may be quite valuable. Many employers especially look for programmers who have worked on open-source software.
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What to consider when developing enterprise software
Regardless of the application, the development framework is the core of all high-performing enterprise software. If you’re in charge of creating a new application, you’re probably thinking about open-source frameworks like React or Angular.
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Now, open-source packages present a whole new set of challenges.
Security concerns:
Because enterprise apps handle sensitive data, you need to control the system’s accessibility and user authorization. You will have limited influence over the source contributions if you rely on open-source projects produced by a larger community.Maintenance effort:
Enterprise software has unique needs. Unfortunately, due to the nature of thirdparty code, many open-source frameworks are not enterprise-ready for your specific usage. You’ll also have to make sacrifices in terms of the usual assistance your IT team demands.Ease of use for user adoption:
Lack of UX skills or capacity makes it tough to create the best user experience unless your team has reusable UI components for each project.
Given the aforementioned considerations, you should use open-source frameworks with caution, especially in mission-critical contexts.
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An ideal development framework should additionally offer:
- Version control or an IDE-like environment with a native debugger
- Access-control capabilities that are both robust and granular
- Self-hosted options
Why choose a proprietary framework over open-source?
The easier it is to design and deploy apps, the more effectively you will be able to meet your consumers’ frequent feature requests. That is only one of the many benefits of closed-source frameworks.
Enterprise-grade security
Security is most likely the primary motivator for corporate adoption of closed-source software. Enterprise software requires regulated and authorized access to the source code.
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Dedicated support and training resources
You won’t have to worry about wasting hours looking through manuals or discussion boards to discover solutions to your issues. If you use a commercial framework, the seller will offer you qualified assistance. Your use cases are also specifically addressed in the accessible guides and user manuals.
High code quality
The degree of quality control in open-source frameworks may not be as high as in commercial ones. Proprietary features allow you to completely customize software design for really specific demands, saving your team time on development while assuring the code is immediately usable after installation.
You will also receive a basic licensing agreement that includes indemnification and a warranty in addition to these advantages. This implies fewer difficulties related to compliance issues and opensource license restrictions.
Ext JS: A powerful UI JavaScript framework for enterprises
Ext JS is a JavaScript framework that provides a component library for the development of advanced client, cross-platform web applications. It is particularly well-suited to handling corporate applications with massive amounts of data. You’ll get access to over 140+ prebuilt UI components with Ext JS, including a form builder, calendar, tables, charts, and more. Additionally, you will be able to display and analyze data using Sencha Pivot Tables and a D3 adapter
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Various other tools will help you deliver software with ease:
Let’s dive into some of the main benefits of Sencha Ext JS for developing custom software.
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Accelerate development speed and increase quality
Sencha Architect can help you create pixel-perfect user interfaces in less time. The code that is generated automatically is designed for maximum performance, so you can prevent errors while writing manually.
Sencha Cmd is an advanced command-line tool that offers a wide range of options, including code creation and minimization, dynamic package loading, and build generation for progressive web apps. You’ll like the automation options for Sencha Ext JS development activities like generating theme files, slicing and dicing pictures, and starting a development web server to run your code locally.
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Beautiful UI for efficient prototyping
Sencha’s Themer helps improve the appearance and feel of your application in addition to the comprehensive UI component library. Ext JS 7 and later have a new, modern-looking Material Theme for Classic Toolkit, a design framework that describes visual components and the structure of an application, as well as possible interactions and the unified expression of attributes like color, shape, and motion.
Ext JS’s integration of tools is another productivity-enhancing feature. Everything you need to create
bespoke web apps is conveniently found in one location.
Using open-source software frequently necessitates wading through a plethora of frameworks and
libraries for each component, which may be time-consuming. The compatibility of Sencha components
and extra tools, on the other hand, allows you to considerably accelerate the software-development
process.
Robust data package
The framework includes a powerful package with several capabilities that can handle dataintensive applications:
- A large number of classes with high-functioning models are used to facilitate client-side data collection.
- Its protocol-agnostic connections allow you to access and consume data from any back-end source.
- With session-management features, you may simplify various client-side tasks while reducing round trips to the server
Expert Assistance
Above all, Ext JS users can leverage the expertise of a dedicated Sencha support team for advisory services. With this service, there’s no need to spend countless hours sifting through forum threads to find a solution to your problem. Instead, you can rely on the insights and guidance of seasoned professionals who are well-versed in the intricacies of the Ext JS framework. With access to this trusted advisory service, users can be confident in their ability to leverage Ext JS to its full potential and achieve their business goals.
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Sencha’s Treasure Trove Component Library
Equip your global teams with the right components to build web applications faster.
- High-Performing
- Interoperable
- Professionally Built
- Single Source
Data Analytics and Management
Data Grid
Pivot Grid
Trees
Exporter
Scheduling
Calendar
Date & Time Panel
Media
Audio
Video
FX/ Animations
Editing and Display Views
WYSIWYG Froala Editor
Forms
Lists
Tabs & Menus
Data View
Data Backend and Styling
Data Components
Navigation
Layouts & Themes
UX Components
Buttons
Carousel
Color Picker
Icons
Panels
Pop-ups
Progress Bars
Tooltips
Toolbars
Touch Events
Virtual Scroller
Data Visualization
Charts Visually represent complex data sets with a broad range of chart types
Line Charts
Area Charts
Bar Charts
3D Bar Charts
Box Plots
Column Charts
3D Column Charts
Bubble Charts
Scatter Charts
Financial Charts
Gauge Charts
Pie Charts
3D Pie Charts
Radar Charts
Combination Charts
Navigator Line Chart
Plot Charts
Stacked Charts
D3 Add sophisticated visualizations to create stunning representations from data
D3 Hierarchy maps
D3 Heatmap
D3 Pivot heatmap
D3 Sunbursts
D3 Zoomable Sunbursts
D3 Words
D3 Tree Map
Custom SVG
Custom Canvas
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Try Sencha Ext JS free for 30 days
Successful enterprises trust Ext JS to build extensive and complex systems such as ERP (Enterprise
Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), CMS (Content Management System),
OMS (Order Management System), and more.
Save time and money.
Make the right decision for your business.
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