View source for Is GNU and Open Source software worth the costs and risks?

==Is GNU and Open Source software worth the costs and risks?==

It's difficult, if not impossible, to argue against the value proposition of GNU and Open Source software, although [http://www.catb.org/~esr/halloween/ some have tried]. Due to zero licensing fees, lower administrative overhead, high-quality code, security releases that are distributed in minutes or hours rather than months or marketing cycles, and free online support from thousands of like-minded developers and users, GNU and Open Source offerings are often the best solution. The math is really quite compelling: 

{|class="wikitable" border="1"
! '''Applications''' !! '''Industry Leader''' !! align="right" | '''Cost'''
|-
| GNU/Linux
| Yes
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Apache Web Server
| Yes
| align="right" | 0
|-
| MySQL Relational Database
| Yes
| align="right" | 0
|-
| PHP Scripting Language
| Yes
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Joomla! Content Management System
| Yes
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Thousands of Joomla Extensions
| Varies
| align="right" | 0
|-
! '''Support''' !! '''Relative Quality''' !! align="right" | '''Cost'''
|-
| Joomla! Project Leadership Team
| High
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Joomla! Forge
| High
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Joomla! Online Forums
| High
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Joomla! Documentation
| Medium
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Thousands of Online Volunteers
| High
| align="right" | 0
|-
| Paid Professional Support
| Widely Available
| align="right" | 0
|-
! align="right" | '''Total''' !! &nbsp; !! align="right" | '''0'''
|}
[[Category:Security FAQ]]