As a software developer I constantly find myself falling into debates of open vs. closed source - from a project standpoint, from a usage standpoint, as well as a busines standpoint. Am I against Open Source software? No. I think it's great, and it allows individual users to do things with their computers that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do without paying hundreds of dollars. Like everything though, open source has it's place, because there are many realms in which it falls short.

Open Source/GNU/Freeware/Free Services all come with an as-is understanding. If GMail were ever to crash, become infested with a worm, or if my account was somehow magically deleted, all my emails that I've been collecting for years now would be gone. I understand that, and I accept that as part of my understanding with Google. I take this risk into account by downloading all my messages to my computer via Thunderbird. But if Thunderbird corrupts the email archive, then what? Can I sue them? It's only an emotional loss, at best - at least for an individual. What about for a small business? What will they do when something crashes and all their orders are lost? Who can be held accountable?

Free blurs that line of accountability. The exchange of money for a product or service does not and for many reasons, this accountability is key to the professional world. If I whip up some code and throw it on the web to be downloaded for free, I'm offering up the software to be used at the user's discretion - at their own risk. But if I've written a chunk of code that I am proud of, something that offers a level of quality that is unparalleled, I certainly am going to charge for it and stand behind my product. If it ruins your system and is verifiably the fault of the product I sold you, I will be faced with either fixing the issue for you or in the worst case, you will have the option to sue me. If you have a minor glitch, or need a small customization, how much more motivated will I be to help you out if you are a paying customer?

It's for this reason that an article like this comes as no surprise: Don't ever use Google Apps for anything important. The writer explains the difficulty he's had in relying on the free version of Google's Apps which, in their indirect method, caused him to potentially lose some important company information, including emails. In his efforts to resolve the situation with Google, he hits countless road blocks - and it's only when he deals directly with the merchant (where his money would otherwise end up through Google apps), that his problem is resolved.

The moral: Follow the money.