PUNE: There's more to open source than just being a cheaper alternative, says one.

It might be initially cheaper, but not in the long run, says another.

Talk of the open style of software development, and its adoption track at the enterprise level, and you can hear voices, equally vocal, on both sides.

It's been quite some time now that open-source has set its roots well in the commercial realm of the technology space. Yet, the ruckus between open Vs proprietary pugilists continues.

“We could have failed against proprietary counterparts if we had used a box approach with enterprise Linux,” feels Satish Mohan, head, global engineering centre, Red Hat India. But using the 'value proposition' approach with 'service beyond vanilla product' and access to ecosystem has worked in favor for Enterprise Linux, he tells.

In the OS version of enterprise solutions, there are no hassles like upgrade investments or heavy exit costs etc. That's why there is a good push from all sectors like BFSI, manufacturing or government towards early adoption of Enterprise Linux, Mohan shares.

Except the early-phase challenges of driving customer renewals in the enterprise market, there hasn't between much trouble in fighting for ground in a territory so far reigned by proprietary biggies, he says.

On the other side is Abhijit Sane, business development manager, Healthcare domain of ERP DesignTech Systems, that has been developing its ERP solution on Microsoft .Net platform. Next too, it will work on Silverlight and upcoming Microsoft platforms, which he feels the enterprise customers would be happy to embrace like the 37 customers it has on .Net version.

Ask him the dents made by OS rivals, and he confidently shrugs off any damage worth assessing. Picking up the cost argument he stresses that initial costs may pose a rosy picture in favour of an OS option. “But later on, the lifetime value factor and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and subsequently higher costs tip the scales in favour of non-OS products.”

While Sane is ripping off the 'cheap' argument against OS companies, Mohan highlights the clichéd bone of contention in a new colour. “There's much more to OS than just being cheap. That makes its case for the scale and requirements demanded in enterprise space too.”

Move beyond these two corner rooms and it's not hard to find these arguments echoing in other quarters, and thus, the debate between Open Vs Proprietary struts along in the enterprise domain also.