Native Languages Center

Language Documentation Workshop

Module 3:
Digital Technology

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Evaluating Hardware & Software

Evaluating Hardware

This can be fairly straightforward when considering what hardware to purchase, use, or update. Some of this may depend on your organization or institution and if there are licenses with certain companies. However, choosing which desktop computer, laptop, or tablet will depend on the type of project you are doing. For example, knowing that you are creating video materials will help determine the type of computer you will need (processor speed, storage capacity, etc.). The average lifespan of computers is averaged at 5-8 years and will need to kept in mind as well when thinking about longevity.

Evaluating Software

Commercial Software is either purchased one-time, or as is more commonly done these days, subscribed to and vendors make money from users directly. The source code of the software is proprietary and cannot be altered locally. It requires updates or trouble-shooting from the company, but it is typically quite stable and reliable. Some smaller companies or start-ups may have software that get bought out by a larger company and can change rapidly however. Most common examples of larger commercial products are Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, etc.

Free Software is generally funded by the vendor’s use of your data and vendors make money from users indirectly. It is important to consider how you might use these apps or software in the collection or dissemination of language documentation. Common examples are GoogleApps, Chrome, Meta, etc.

Open-Source Software is software that has no vendor. It is developed and maintained by the open-source development community. Developers may be academics, not-for-profit groups, foundations, etc. Open-source software typically makes the code publicly available so that you could, if you wished, make your own copy and then use it to create something customized to your own needs. Examples are many of those discussed in this module: FLEx, ELAN, LibreOffice, GIMP, etc.

Below is a table showing the comparisons and considerations among the three types of software.

Commercial Software Free Software Open Source Software
Vendor makes money from you directly; you can buy or subscribe to the software. Vendor makes money from you indirectly; income comes from ads or selling your data, usage or personal information. There is no vendor; software is developed & maintained by the open source community.
Consider how private your data & user information will be; what level of support is offered? If support is available, it is crowdsourced; your data & personal information are probably not private. Developer community may be one to thousands of people; limited support; privacy & security may vary.
Source Code is proprietary and can’t be altered locally. Source Code is proprietary and can’t be altered locally. Source Code can be viewed publicly & updated by anyone.
Lifespan: typically upgraded every few years; compatibility with older versions or future versions is not guaranteed. Lifespan: similar to commercial but these products may be moved from ‘free’ to ‘commercial’ without warning. Lifespan: depends on nature of the project & the developers; requires constant upgrades & expect them frequently.
Major corporations expect to offer for foreseeable future; start-ups or smaller companies are likely to be bought or consolidated into larger corps. Free software is more likely than commercial software to disappear and is more likely to change terms of service. As an Open Source user you have more control & responsibility to manage versions and changes needed.
Examples: MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Windows, iOS Examples: Meta, Bluesky, Chrome, GoogleApps Examples: FLEx, ELAN, LibreOffice, SQLite, Postgres, GIMP
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