Best of the blogs: There’s a distinction between ‘free’ open source software and the ‘freedom’ benefits it brings, explains Josh Kuo in this Geeks in Paradise post. “My favorite benefit of Open Source Software is one that most people don’t even think about. What happens if something happens to the software vendor?” he asks. “How about the vendors who just abandon a not-very-successful software product? It’s not good business, but it happens.” Columnist’s corner: Inspired by spinach, onions and Peter Pan, Ephraim Schwartz investigates the role IT can play in preventing food contamination outbreaks. “The truth is, IT may actually be part of the problem rather than the solution, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” he writes in Recipe for disaster. The good news, though, is that there are already solutions out there. “IT can either take a proactive approach…or take a back seat at its own peril.” Technology Industry