The Case for Proprietary Software

Proprietary systems are more popular because of their ease of use. The learning curve to using a Proprietary system is a lot less. So for the average computer user, or business person, who is focused on quickly getting a task done, a Microsoft system is a no brainer.

Note: This learning curve is changing from both angles. Microsoft technologies are becoming harder to use, because of more complex feature additions, and UNIX systems are becoming much easier to use, because of the new graphical interfaces employed. However, Open Source still remains a favorite to System Administrators and Proprietary systems a favorite to the average computer user.

• Proprietary systems also have a better technical support system. The motivation of Proprietary systems is financial, and therefore to have a loyal customer base, robust technical support systems have to be in place. On the other hand, Open Source systems rarely have technical support staff. Most problem resolution is done through community discussion and testing.
• Due to the wide-spread use of Microsoft products, certain collaboration methods become the norm. For example the ‘doc’ files created in Microsoft’s word processing program called ‘Word’ is a popular means for say submitting a resume to an HR agent.