LinuxInsider: Open Source and the Yoke of Oppression

"You might have been given the impression from reading another column published on this network that all of the open-source community is openly against Microsoft and wants you to move right away to GNU or Linux software.

"The simple truth is that the open-source community was and is quite happy doing what it does on its own without interference from the proprietary world. That is the absolute and undeniable truth. Some analysts do not wish you to see that truth and will do what they can to fan the flames. I don't buy it, and in fact I am always disappointed when I read such pieces, for they ignore a fundamental reality.

"That reality is that the open-source community has been quietly and happily developing software infrastructures from freely available sources that were never stolen from anyone. We have been doing this for reasons that some people cannot fathom. We survive on the reputation of the products, not the reputation ascribed to the community by any analyst..."

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• ExtremeTech: We Have Met the Enemy, and He is Us(Sep 03, 2003)
• The Inquirer: Engaging with the Open Source Community (Part One)(Jun 26, 2003)