Severe risks of open source software in embedded UX development make automotive car manufacturers step back

The reasons for reconsidering are:

1.      Lack of Support: Open source software does not come with the same level of technical support that commercial software does. In most cases, it is up to the car manufacturer to fix bugs on their own, which can be time-consuming and expensive. In general, fixing a bug will take at least take two days. Given a volume of 500 bugs per year (which is low) only bug fixing will occupy more than 4 developers. This is only for admin purposes and not for productive development.

2.      Incomplete Documentation: Open source software is often not well documented, which can make it difficult for developers to understand how to use it and incorporate it into their projects. Additionally all own enhancements and internal releases have to well organized, tested and documented. Also this effort is administrative and unproductive.

3.      Unstable Releases: Open source software releases can be unstable, and there is no guarantee that the software will work as intended.

4.      Language support: Open source software in general will not provide the required fonts and won't provide the ability to automatically adopt displayed text fields to different languages.

5.      Security Risks: Open source software may not be as secure as commercial software, and there may be vulnerabilities that are not discovered until after the software has been installed in the car.

6.      Lack of Customization: Open source software may not be as customizable as commercial software, which can limit the car manufacturer’s ability to create the UX that they need.

7.      Intellectual Property Issues: Open source software is licensed, and car manufacturers must be careful to comply with the licensing agreements or risk legal issues.

8.      Integration Challenges: Integrating open source software into existing systems can be challenging, and car manufacturers may need to hire additional resources to help them with this process.

In total, while open source software promises advantages, it is important for car manufacturers to properly calculate the monetary disadvantages on the long range and make an informed decision about whether it will be a better choice to go for commercial software package covering their UX development needs. Disclaimer: This article is reflecting my own personal view, not necessarily my employer's opinion.