Tim Bray on electronic sharecropping
Tim Bray makes a very good case for developing only for open source applications, operating systems, and/or the Web in "The Web's the Place".
I've been following some discussions about the future of software applications, and a phrase that came up in my dinner with Robb Beal has been echoing in my mind. What it comes down to is this: if you want to develop software, you can build for the Web and/or Unix and/or OSS platforms; or alternatively, you can be a sharecropper. Your choice, but I think it's an easy one. Especially since the users out there want you to do the right thing.
Very cogent argument, and he makes some good points.