[ Thanks to Paul for this link. ]
“Against this dismal background, it might seem that
open source was just another passing fad of those crazy dotcom
days, destined to be consigned to the cyber dustbin of history
along with push technology and portals. But closer inspection
reveals a rather different picture.While it is true that, almost without exception, the new free
software businesses are having a tough time, this does not mean
that open source is fading from the commercial computer scene. If
anything, its profile there is higher now than ever before.This is largely due to the uptake of free software by
traditional computer companies, sometimes on a massive scale. For
example, in December 2000, IBM’s chairman and chief executive
officer, Lou Gerstner, announced: ‘We’re going to invest nearly
$1bn in Linux next year. Fifteen hundred IBM developers are
dedicated to Linux-enabling our products and services.'”