Getting a Bang for Your Proprietary Buck

Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.

That’s what Scott Metzger, chief technical officer at TrueLink, decided when comparing the costs of proprietary software to those of using an open-source version of the Java programming language for developing new applications.

Metzger looked beyond the price tag of developing new code in proprietary software vs. an open—read, “free”—programming language. Particularly, he focused on how much staff time each method would require to put applications in place for his San Luis Obispo, Calif., company, which provides online tools for managing consumer credit.