"What fate awaits open source applications in 2003? The answer
depends on whom you ask, but if new customer references are any
indication, the open source movement scored several big wins this
year in both the public and private sectors.
"If there were any beneficiaries from the global economic
drought, open source applications would be one of them. In fact,
its advocates say tight corporate budgets helped make their pitch
for open source software easier and more attractive.
"But proprietary software vendors like Microsoft Corp. disagree,
citing findings by various analyst groups that commercial software
offers more value for businesses in terms of
cost-effectiveness.
"Expect these two opposing camps next year to fight it out more
fiercely than ever, both on the server and desktop fronts..."
