Strengths and Limitations of Open-Source and Commercial code

After you have decided on what needs you have for third-party libraries, plug-ins or other tools, considering the positive and negative points of both open-source and commercial products will enable you to make the right decision for your product to save time and effort during your development.

There are many options available and these lists highlight some of the most important points to consider when making your decision to use open-source or commercial libraries, or both.

Open-Source libraries
Strengths	Limitations
All source code is available for review Code can be modified for specific needs, reducing the dependency on vendors Forums and blogs provide code samples on how to solve problems Free licensing of libraries and plug-ins Code available to solve many kinds of problems	Limited scope may not meet all requirements Modifications to code not adopted by community become orphaned Applets or applications without open-source may contain malicious code Support provided voluntarily by user base Applications may not be backwards compatible with previous versions of JVM No protection for liability against patent or copyright infringements

Commercial Java SDKs or libraries
Strengths	Limitations
Code documentation simplifies training and implementation Broad scope of products more likely to meet project requirements Dedicated support ensures regular maintenance and product upgrades Single programming methodology makes implementation consistent throughout application Backwards compatibility with older versions of JVM more likely Vendor accountability for preventing malicious code and copyright or patent infringments	Upfront costs to purchase or license library Product support, maintenance or upgrades may cost extra Closed source code means relying on vendors for additional features and functionality Discontinued product lines may only offer minimal support or upgrade options

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