The open source movement is growing fast. Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Firefox (well, Mozilla) — some of the best software available is free and open source.

But Microsoft, Adobe, and other proprietary vendors still make excellent products. Where do you stand? Is open source the future or will proprietary software always have a place?

Open source for servers and development tools. Proprietary for desktop applications and creative work. Both have their strengths.

Richard Stallman would say all software should be free. I respect the philosophy but I also think Adobe deserves to be paid for Photoshop. It's that good.

The LAMP stack proves open source can compete with anything. Free, powerful, and improving faster than proprietary alternatives because thousands of people contribute.