In society, what is a good balance between cooperation and competition?
Speaking of computer software, it's hard not to speak about Microsoft. My reading of the early Windows history suggests that a lot of it came from IBM's earlier operating system. It morphed into a bloated collection of interacting programs which made it hard to use others' coding. The browser standoff with the government was formidable and inconclusive. The US settled but the EU has to remind Microsoft of the court decision. Meanwhile, back here in the States, that same browser, aka Internet Explorer, has let users down so much that almost half of them have opted for Firefox with Java, all of which is free. And this very week the business news touts Microsoft for its robust sales figures based on a new Windows. Yet many of us wouldn't fall for Vista at this point. Like its predecessors, it has serious flaws to fix. I guess the power of advertising (and "sucker" psychology) prevails.
Thanks for telling about Ubuntu. Word of mouth is a reliable form of advertising.