[ Thanks to Michael
S. Mimoso for this link. ]
“With proprietary software, software kingdoms form where users
cannot easily interoperate. Today, those offering proprietary
support typically do not reveal solutions unless they receive
payment. As a result, proprietary support often makes me dependent
upon the correctness of one person. Additionally, only people paid
at the proprietary support center contribute to possible
solutions.“I have found that users of proprietary applications are not
likely to offer possible solutions to issues with the software. The
users of proprietary tools presume the software vendor should
supply answers, and the users are darned if they will give a
proprietary outfit any solutions that may be used for company
profit. After all, the users’ solutions might be removed, reserved
for the proprietary vendor’s exclusive use.“The user and proprietary vendor are at loggerheads. The vendor
properly keeps information private for business reasons, while the
user merely wants good solutions.