Des Moines Register: User-Friendly Open Source Software Befriends Buyers, Sellers

“Open source software, once the domain of hardcore geekdom, is
increasingly changing the shape of software in our homes and
offices. Its evolution is what has allowed Wal-Mart to sell PCs for
$200 to $300 [€151-226].

“To better understand open source software, let’s first cover
some software development essentials. (Later on, we’ll get to the
free stuff.) The programs you buy on CD or over the Internet come
in files that can only be understood by your computer hardware. You
can’t open the files that run Microsoft Word and read all the logic
and instructions that make the program run…”

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