The Strange Case of the Disappearing Open Source Vendors

This article is interesting because:
* He uses brackets the way I do (which admitedly is a lot like coding).
* Picks up on the use and cost of software as two distinct values.
* Open source means not only you but many more can fix the code. Cheaper, faster fixes.
* The key to open source lies in the government sector.
* That the GPL is more consumer friendly than proprietary software. That customer lock-in is the enemy of business and the biggest pusher is Microsoft.

The point that he does seem to miss is that a knowledgeable user can reduce the cost of acquiring a product. The usual example is that a car manufacturer both acquires and makes products to produce a car. By keeping the knowledge about producing parts they can at least set a base line or even undercut external production.

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2002/06/28/vendor.html