[ComputerGuy]

open-source

Tell me again why that's a good thing.

[ShadowAce]

Tell me again why that's a good thing.

1. No vendor lock-in
2. No unexpected (and uncontrolled) updates on someone else's schedule
3. No one claiming that (or least acting like) your hardware is theirs
4. No one saying that your hardware is too old
5. No one inspecting your data
6. No one claiming your data/IP/images are theirs
7. No financial demands unless you buy a commercial product
8. Your computer will be faster
9. Little to no virii to worry about
10. The ability to lock down you computer so NO ONE except you can get root/admin access--even if they know the password and have physical access

I'm sure there are other reasons, but I think that's enough to answer your question.

[j_guru]

The thought is that all software has vulnerabilities. Closed source like Microsoft, tends to take longer to patch. In some cases, months or even years. Open source on the other had, is transparent, and allows vulnerabilities to be patched in days and sometimes hours.