That's both the good news and the bad news. While there's plenty to read about Apache, Linux, Perl, and PHP on Web sites and Usenet newsgroups, much of it is obtuse to the developer, who simply needs to get the job done. Precisely because the developers and early adopters of open-source projects are experts, they often take for granted important details and concepts that befuddle the outsider. To be sure, there's useful help available on the Internet for all these open-source projects, but the clear and navigable support is a small percentage of all discussion out there. Both open-source and commercial tools often have sizable user bases, and therefore both are supported by much discussion on the Internet.
Users helping users is a valuable asset for all kinds of products.
Documentation provided with open-source projects is often thoroughly detailed, which is great for reference once you understand the abstract concepts relevant to that product. IT developers feel secure in knowing they can phone commercial vendors when a problem arises and, ostensibly, receive informed advice. Commercial support for the Apache server is most easily found through broader channels, such as Red Hat Inc. and IBM, which support the versions of Apache that ship with their own products. Still, the fragmentation of these support services for open-source projects precludes the same security blanket that commercial developers can provide. Most commercial developers waive themselves of most liability through their licenses, which probably puts both development camps at the same level of accountability.