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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