Until recently, few enterprises were using open source software for back office applications, such as enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management. But last month, an IDC survey of Western European companies found that nearly ten percent were using open source enterprise software. That's surprisingly high for a market where the industry leaders themselves have only a ten percent share. IDC also reported that the leading open source enterprise applications are growing – by 20 percent or more per year.

That's good news for the owners of the projects on our list. Unlike other categories of open-source applications, a high percentage of enterprise projects are money-making ventures that offer commercial support, training, and/or add-on features...

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