It is no surprise that commercial software vendors try to dismiss the idea of systems that are open and interoperable. In their current business model the only way to make money is to make users as dependent on their software as possible. Open source software goes against this very idea by allowing users choose which vendor and version of the software distribution they prefer. There are many benefits to such a plan both to computer end-users and those of us who make our living developing technology solutions. Opening the door One of the major benefits of open source software is that it opens the industry to smaller and more varied companies.
More companies mean more products, which, to the technology worker, mean more solutions.
We are in the business of providing solutions and it only seems logical that the more vendors there are the better off we will be. Too often today we are forced into choosing among the lesser of 2 or 3 evils when we recommend a software or hardware solution. In reality, we often don't even have that many choices. Do to the market dominance of a few large companies we are forced to implement technology that we know is flawed. Worse yet, we often face technology stipulations made by unknowledgeable executives who think that there is only one software manufacturer, period.