Sunday, May 27, 2012
Open Source Is on the March
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 Since the Linux operating system started making big inroads with the servers that run Web sites and corporate networks, big companies have seen firsthand the benefits of open-source software, which include lower costs and more control over the code. Now those same benefits are making their way to database software, long the domain of industry giants Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft. Indeed, switching to an open-source database can slash costs for one of the most expensive segments of a company's software budget by as much as 90%.
This Online Special Report looks at the new database war being sparked by upstarts out to challenge the big guys in this crucial market. It also examines the increasingly contentious issue of software patents and how the open-source movement is both part of the problem and perhaps part of the solution. And in a slide show titled ``Linux Everywhere?'' we show the wide range of places where the free operating system is going to work, from automobiles to robotics. You'll find all this and more at www.businessweek.com/go/06opensource.
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