The open source vs. proprietary debate has had plenty of ink over the last few years. I think I’ve seen the same basic arguments and banter wrapped in what seems to be a hundred different packages. But this article in particular from Roger Greene in Network World’s “Face-Off” grabbed my attention. And it caught the attention of MuleSource, whose recent blog post took Roger to task point by point.Now, I work for an open source company and yet, I think the problems he identifies are correct. However, the solution is not to avoid open source, but rather to engage commercial open source. That is, work with companies that can connect and enhance what open source tools can do. Companies that serve as immediate liaisons for both the open source community and the business community. Ultimately, companies that can provide what end users need. My thoughts on the open source myths Roger lays out in his article…“Myth #1: Open Source is Free.”No, open source is barter ware. The currency is contributions. Open source has a community which is a huge advantage because you have interested users. Commercial open source vendors can serve as a conduit for access to community by providing expertise in the technical aspects of the project(s) while remaining upstanding members of the open source community itself. These companies can help people access open source easier… at a reasonable cost. “Myth #2: Bug fixes are faster and less expensive.”Commercial open source companies know how to use the open source projects. To remain an ongoing concern, these companies have to fix bugs immediately to completion and submit the fixes to the community so they are available in ongoing releases. That’s part of their value-add. As cool new features are added to open source, which often happens faster than in private software, commercial open source companies can plug it into their product quickly. When organizations go it alone, and try to fix within then sure, it will take longer and probably be more expensive.“Myth #3: Your IT staff can buy a ‘raw’ tool and shape it to their needs.” Your IT staff is much too busy to waste time messing with “raw” tools. That’s why you want to outsource that task to commercial open source vendors. They maintain the expertise with the tools so you don’t have to. It’s far cheaper to ask these vendors to add and fix stuff than to have your poor overworked guys go learn the complex tool, yet again, which takes time because they haven’t messed with it in months. Without question, there are benefits to using open source. Also, without question, there are challenges associated with open source. But commercial open source vendors can stand in the gap and make open source work well within organizations. Technology Industry