Over the years there has been much discussion about whether closed-source, proprietary software (CSPS) or Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) has the lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This typically goes hand-in-hand with discussions about whether software and computing in general are considered strategic investments or simple necessities of modern life, and that discussion typically follows from the discussion of whether software is a commodity or not.

In case you missed it, Bruce Byfield has a very interesting essay posted on the history of FOSS, and it includes some interesting thoughts on where free, open source software is headed. You can find the essay here. In Byfield's essay, he provides a historical account of the growth of the open source movement, ranging from the development of infrastructure software such as Apache to the growth in sophistication of open source licenses. But it's his thoughts on how open...

Apple has removed an application from...

Remember the 1980s Fixx song One Thing Leads To Another? The lyrics to that song play with the idea that one misbegotten thing, such as a lie, can lead to more insidious things. Perhaps the flip side of that idea has some merit, too, and exploring the fertile territory that surrounds a good idea can lead to...