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Sorry for my previous post my little wrong, I read the definition of Open Source and it seem there are free (no cost), that differ from Free Software (here free=liberty).
So how a firm that makes Open Source software can gain money ?
I'm agree with giving the source with the exe. For the story Richard Stallman create Free Software because when he was working at the MIT, there was a print on the lan and everybody complain when the printer crash (no paper, stuffing,...). As he has the sources of the printer driver, he modified then to send an email to everybody on the spool when a problem occur. The problem comes when the MIT change the printer and the source of the driver was not available. Then he creates the Free Software.
Madseel, making free programs is the ideal/perfect world but a firm have to make money that's why I'm for creating software sell then but I want to have the sources (I can see if there is no backdoor, If I have a bug I (or others) can correct it and don't wait times and times like IIS for example, If the software don't have an option I want I can write it so the soft is exactly my needs).
My job is to create software (in fact my looking for a job), so if I make free programs how can I live ? But it is certain that if a I already a job and I make software during my time that will be for free and with sources.
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I think the problem is free software/open source scare people...If we prove that FS/OS works better than the competition, in my opinion, we're hurting societies beliefs. Right now we live in Capitalist societies (well most of us) where the entire idea is to make money, the concept of FS/OS (yes most people see them as being the same thing) scares people because they believe no money is being made. This makes them think of a Communist society (true communism anyways.. not what you see around the world).... Most people feel that Communism is the opposite of democracy, yet the two words mean completely different things. So if we prove it works in the software department, people are afraid we'll start proving it works in other places and we'll end up with communist societies.
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Xid, the average user will only start using open source software when it comes loaded onto the pcs that they buy. Ease of use is also greatly important as you say, but most users use the proprietary software that comes with thier PCs because it is there and as far as they can tell it works.
The response of one of my house mates when I started usinf mozilla was "why? IE works doesn't it?".
