The choice of using Open Source software is not about any specific
proprietary software vendor, it is about freedom. Requiring a specific
brand of closed source software is like building highways that only can
be used by Fords.
The only yes/no question we need to answer is if we are
willing to allow that freedom.

Is Linux the Only Significant Example?

The Linux Operating System is currently the most talked about Open
Source project.
However, it clearly is not the only one.
Today, the majority of all computer centers use some open source
software.
Examples include:

• gcc -- An Open Source C compiler that is used on many platforms
  including Solaris and HP/UX.

• PHP -- The most popular web scripting language
• Python and Perl -- Popular scripting languages
• BIND -- Name server software used by 95% of the Domain
  Name Service (DNS) servers

• Apache -- Web server with a 60% market share
• Sendmail, SMAP, Postfix and Exim -- Mail transfer agents which
  make up about 60% of the MTAs on the Internet

• MySQL and PostgreSQL -- Open source databases.

A Mixed Software Environment

Selecting specific software for specific tasks should not preclude an
open selection for other tasks.
That is, software should be selected because it can inter-operate with
other environments.
This addresses a current need and also eliminates potential costly
conversions in the future.

Many Open Source projects grew out of a specific need.
For example, BIND was written at the University of
California to address the need that as the number of host computers on
the Internet grew, it was no longer possible to manually maintain and
distribute a host name file to all machines on the Internet.
It was developed on a UNIX system but it was designed to handle a
standardized need.
Today, virtually all DNS is done by BIND but most users of the Internet
have never heard of it nor have any idea what it might do.

SSC, publishers of Linux Journal is an example of an open environment:

• All the server systems and desktops in the office
  run Debian Linux.

• A Mac is used for layout because of Quark Express
• Contractors (editorial and advertising) use an assortment
  of Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

• The SSC web servers are running Linux with Apache, MySQL,
  PHP and Python.

• Linux Journal's subscription processing is done using
  Python, Tk and PostgreSQL on Linux systems.

Standards

There are many examples of open standards in computing that have made it
possible for diverse systems (from huge mainframes to embedded systems) to
inter-operate.
These standards include:

• The Fortran, Cobol and C programming languages
• HTML for web pages
• RFC822 and SMTP for e-mail
• 802.11 for wireless communications
• NNTP for Usenet news
• SNMP for network management
• POSIX 1003 operating system standard

But, there are bad examples of standards. For example, Microsoft created
what they called a standard for document interchange called Rich Text
Format.
Problems included:

• The "standard" was created by a single vendor rather than
  cooperative efforts like the standards above.

• Technically bad as it contained specific markup rather than
  logical markup (e.g., 14 point Ariel bold rather than large,
  bold sans serif).

• While other vendors (e.g., WordPerfect) put a lot of effort into
  compliance, Microsoft ignored their own standard. Bugs (import
  and export) in early versions of MS-Word made it useless.

Over time, the XML standard was born which addresses what was attempted
with RTF and a lot more.
Today XML is used as default by, for example, OpenOffice
and supported by Quark Express and InDesign.

Will Open Source Eliminate Profits?

In a word, no.
IBM used to give you the OS when you bought the computer. They are
still in business.

The issue is choice. With Open Source software, you can pick who
supports it.
Open Source means a choice of vendors, not the elimination of vendors.

Other Advantages of Open Source

• Open Source encourages local learning and local support.
• Open Source means a future conversion can be quicker and much less
  costly.

• Horror story from my past: A closed source Pascal compiler with
  a floating point divide bug delayed a project for two months. This could
  have been fixed in a day with Open Source.

• Open Source software is more secure because you can inspect it and,
  if necessary, fix it. If the community is large (Linux, for example)
  inspection and repair happens very rapidly.

Is Price an Issue?

It certainly can be.
When Open Source software is called free, the reference is to
freedom, not cost. However, costs should be considered.

Open Source advantages include:

• Lower per copy cost
• No ongoing license fees
• Bug fixes can be shared
• Supporting Open Source software can become a product