Decentralization
jamesgregory writes "'Geeks make new stuff primarily because it's fun, because it's useful, and because they can. Suits make new stuff primarily because they hope to earn a profit. Yes, that is an oversimplification, and there's overlap between the two types -- there are plenty of profit-seeking geeks and geeky business folks. Still, the distinction is real.'"
There is no way you can kill opensource software. Many companies who have bought into os/2, paradox, borland, lotus, and other things that were hot 15 years ago got burned. What if Microsoft decides to directly compete with peoplesoft and they go under because of it?
Its this reasoning why CIO's buy all or mostly microsoft products. They buy out of fear. Microsoft is already entering the crm market and will likely prevail because they are Microsoft.
Opensource software can not be bought out, file for chapter 11 bankrupty, or be cancelled due to lack of demand or a new direction by a CEO.
The only argument agaisnt opensource software is the fact that pallidium might kill it since only visual c++ can sign "trusted code" and I would not be supprised to see a eula forbidding to compile gnu licensed code therefore killing anything non proprietary on %99 of the world's computers. Scary shit.
I am a strong believer in custom software because its best suited for your needs and more flexible. Everything becomes obsolete eventually and upgrading it makes more sense then buying later and later versions and hoping it still works for your needs. Needs change and sometimes your software does not have the ability to adapt to your change. With something in-house created you know it fits your needs and will always do so best and is cheaper in the long run.
Nothing commercial can ever come close.
http://saveie6.com/
Linux was created so that there could be a truly free OS to play around with. Minix cost money, back in the day, and modifications had to be distributed in the form of patches, which got to be extreemly annoying, even for people who already had licenses. That was the reason Linus created Linux.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.