>>>Like Microsoft? Like Apple?
>
>And like Oracle with Java. If we willingly put our necks in that noose again, what fools we are. I won't be surprised if that's what we do, though. ;-) According to market theory we want at least 2 realistic competitors and even then there's a tendency to cozy duopoly.

Isn't there some general psychological principle that we can only deal with a certain number of options (fewer than 10) comfortably? I just read Hank Fay's post about open source options and it was like reading Farsi. Maybe this really is an industry for the young. I used to be able to keep up with it and now feel a little bewildered. Hence my desire to fasten onto something that is up to date and marketable.