Open-Source, 🚗 Industry Compatible?
This article is a summary of a ClubHouse discussion organised on June 2nd 2021. List of the Speakers at the end…
Please note that the subject has been treated here mainly around CFD software. The reference for open-source is Open-Foam while commercial software include products such as Fluent, StarCCM+, etc.
➡️ Open-source means code sources are shared among a community but it does not necessary mean completely “public”. In exchange, the community participates to develop and to grow the common knowledge.
➡️ Open-source does not mean “no cost”. Even for a free software, companies need to plan associated budget would it be for maintenance, support, training, etc.
➡️ A certain maintenance and traceability of the sources is needed in a professional context. It can be made by the users themselves but implies a time cost. It is usually acceptable in an academic context and in some startups but bigger companies usually prefer to partnership with dedicated consultancy companies. In this case, a cost is associated but responsibilities are delegated.
➡️ In Academia, a will to keep a better traceability and sustainability of previous works is also emerging. For example, some publication journals ask you to clearly label and make available certain sources of your work (for a period of 10 years).
➡️ Open-sources are enabler for technologies because they have more potential to be modelled around their customers’ needs as well as offering more flexibility for development and for innovation (it is not by doing the same thing as everyone that you end up with a disruptive product). Open-source software are very agile and flexible but they also can be used in a more conservative way if needed (specified label for given reference version, benchmark between beta-version, etc.)
➡️ Today CFD software are also embedded in larger Blockbusters combining multiple software (for example CFD + FEA + 1D + calibration +…). Software such as Open-Foam are today compatible with some other tools but there does not exist today a “super-open-source-package” combining several open-source-tools. The main reason is mainly the lack of incentive for this.
➡️ Open-source codes are often associated with the idea of “immature” products. If that may have been the case in the past, it is not anymore (for example OpenFoam is very well known nowadays) but Open-sources suffer from a lack of proper unified marketing strategy as well as customer preferential relationship as it exists at big companies with key account managers.
Thanks to the Speakers:
Holger Marschall, Simulation Expert and Group leader at TU Darmstadt
Eugene de Villiers, Managing Director at Engys Ltd.
