We need software, but at what price?

Kelly McNeill writes “Closed-source software will always have a place, but I believe that the vast majority of this type of software is going to be in vertical markets, where customization is the order of the day. Warehouse management is a good example. Why develop an open-source warehouse management application for a market that is probably far less than one-thousandth that of Linux? It’s a question of demand and resources. SAP, Baan, Peoplesoft … these guys will never be replaced by open-source, but they may fold due to their own missteps. As products like Linux, the BSDs, Apache, and SaMBa gain even more presence in the business and personal marketplaces, their value will only continue to rise.”