Thanks to Lance Levsen
for this link.
“The open source movement presents several viable software
alternatives to the `big brands'”
“While shareware has been around for many years, 1998 was a
watershed in the acceptance of software developed outside the
traditional commercial model. An IDC study indicates that Linux, an
open source version of Unix, increased its market share from 6.8 to
17.2 percent in 1998.”
“The open source movement is based on the principle that
software can be developed better in a collaborative environment
where the source code is freely available and modifiable by the
user. This results in a huge base of programmers and testers and
allows the technology to be developed quickly and de-bugged
constantly. If you find a bug in open source software, you can fix
it. If you need a feature, you can add it.”
“This model is the opposite of the traditional corporate
approach where small teams of developers control the code and set
the release schedule. The outside world can test the software
during the beta cycle but not change it. Modifications can be
requested, but implementation is at the discretion of the
corporation that dictates the upgrade schedule.”