Adam Coss

Marion Jensen

IST1100

17 January 2015

Module 2 Essay

In this week, I have read much about the history of workflow software, open source code and collaborative contribution. While I have a history in web programming and graphic design, I must admit that I didn’t pay much attention to open source code. I would always hear people talk about different open source programs and how they are great, but it didn’t seem to matter much to me because I was always building websites myself from the ground up. I had a basic understanding of what open source meant, I just didn’t see why or how I could take advantage of it.

Without workflow software, things would move a lot slower in our businesses. I seriously doubt that companies could offer same day shipping or even next day shipping for that matter. With this kind of software, we are able to take orders from customers, create purchase orders, provide shipping estimates, track shipping, notify customers of delays, manage costs and inventory, and so many other things. I use a web service called Weebly. They host my website and provide me with nearly a full e-commerce set up within the online software. After a customer places an order, the only thing I am responsible for is placing the order to the supplier. All of the bookkeeping and customer management is automated so I can focus on placing orders and driving more revenue.

Weebly does provide all of the coding for the websites that they build. So like open source programs, I can take the code and modify or improve it in anyway I like. I haven’t need to but it’s great to know that I have full access to any portion of my site, after all, I am paying them a monthly fee so I would like to be in total control if need be. The concept of open source code is refreshing. The idea that groups of people come together for a greater good is kind of romantic. It reminds me of community supported agriculture, which is something that I am involved in. While CSA is certainly more physical, I can only imaging how mentally demanding a collaborative effort in software engineering must be. It’s hard enough just to get people to agree on colors, it must be challenging to get a group of people to agree on software architecture.

I remember when Y2K was the only thing we could hear about on TV. It was like the old days when there were only 3 channels, if the president was on, well… the president was on. You didn’t have a choice what to watch anymore. That was TV when Y2K was happening, it was Y2K everyday. I don’t remember anyone talking about how Y2K would affect India and the future of globalization. Learning about how outsourcing the remediation to India gives me hope for when there may be another computer based crisis. It shows that it is possible for multiple countries to come together to avoid a disaster. I always imagined that if a massive cyber attack happened, we’d all be waiting for the virtual red tape to be cut.

Outsourcing is extremely powerful. Without outsourcing, India’s economy would surely be very 
different. Reading about globalization and outsourcing is really providing me with more insight on 

how I can operate my own business more efficiently. I know many photographers outsource their 

editing to Indian companies. This has sparked some very heated debates in the creative industry. 

With 

editing being such a huge part of the finished product, how can we allow someone we don’t even 

know to take over such an integral part of the creative process. However, many photographers use 

these editors with stunning results. It allows the photographer more time to focus on print sales and 

brand marketing. It takes just as much time to edit a photo as it does to scout, light, and shoot an entire set of photos. Imagine freeing up that much time to improve your creativity, or to work with 

your accountant, or more importantly, interact with potential clients.