This creates a new market entirely and it pisses people off. Isn’t that always the case with a changing economy, people get pissed off when they don’t know how to adapt. I’m assuming the developers of open-source software know how to get advertisement money or other investors involved. Nobody just sits there and creates software out of the goodness of their heart. But wtf do I know?

I like that you talked about free vs. non-free on the web. I think that you are correct in saying that some things (such as educational materials) will continue to cost money on the web and that people shouldn’t be shocked about $1,000 iPhone app.

However, I am also a big believer in open source applications/operating systems (Linux, FreeBSD, etc.). I believe that you can get quality programs and software free of charge and I think the world owes a huge thank you to people who contribute their time to free software. In certain arenas (such as Anti-Virus) the free programs are actually better than the paid programs.

Just a thought…

Robert R.