Let's talk openly about open source

LightSky’s roots are in custom Web application development. We still do a lot of custom programming, and we also recognize (and appreciate!) that the open source community has really stepped up the past few years and created some spectacular systems.

Until two years ago we hesitated to implement someone else’s code simply because it hadn’t been developed and - more to the point - tested in-house. How could we stand behind a solution we implemented if we hadn’t coded it ourselves? As quickly as technology evolves, though, there’s now no reason for us to shun open source solutions if they have a stable foundation and do the job well.

Open source systems - Drupal in particular - have enabled LightSky to offer extremely powerful yet less costly solutions to clients who do not need a custom solution, but who do need help planning and implementing a system. And it all boils down to need, really. What problem(s) are we trying to solve, what are the possible solutions, and what are the parameters (e.g. timeline and budget)? Open source has also shortened turnaround time for projects and delivered more than clients expected. With Drupal, when a module doesn’t already exist or doesn’t quite do the job we rely on our custom coding skills to create a new module that fits the bill. It’s a win-win (for the client and for LightSky).

Learning from others gets us thinking in different ways and leads to greater creativity and innovation. Although it took a shift in mindset to think of open source as really viable options, we’re certainly glad to have them and to participate in the larger Web development community and are thrilled to see our clients succeed with these tools.