Acidus wrote:

Open Source software is raising havoc throughout the software market. It is the ultimate in disruptive technology, and while to it is only 6% of estimated trillion dollars IT budgeted annually, it represents a real loss of $60 billion in annual revenues to software companies," said Jim Johnson, Chairman, The Standish Group International, Boston, MA

If the $60 billion is true (and I would assume based on Standish's five years of research it is) then we have been dramatically underestimating the impact open source is having on the traditional vendors. We've known there is a effect, and now we finally have some numbers (and $60 billion is a whopper.)

It's a great time to be an open source company.

Even if 60 billion is correct, don't think of this as open source taking money out of the pocket of the software market without giving back. While OSS has reduced some markets (databases are a good example, web servers is another), it has enabled other markets to exist. Think about all the network/security appliances out there that are built on Linux/(Free|Open|Net)BSD that would not be economically viable without a free operating system.

Heaven forbid: Old technology becomes free and used as building blocks for new and innovative commercial systems. Over and over again! Oh, god its ANARCHY! THINK OF THE CHILDREN! THINK OF THE CHIIIIILLLDRREEEENNNN!

RE: Study Finds 'Free Open Source Software Is Costing Vendors $60 Billion' | Negative Approach - CNET Blogs