The past year, in our recent memory, was the most turbulent year for the field. It wasn't just about defamation like the "Truth about Linux" campaign; open-source technology faced more direct attacks.
It is almost self-evident: the more successfully open-source technology is adopted in enterprises, the more it threatens entrenched interests. The questions raised by IT managers make many commercial software vendors uneasy. "If commercial software is so good, why is there such a fierce competition between it and open-source software?" "If open-source software is bad, then show me what makes your commercial software worth the price." "I'm already involved in this project; can your software improve its outcomes? In what specific ways?"
Dominant software vendors have yet to provide answers to these questions, and their hostility towards open-source technology does not solve practical problems or attract the interest of IT managers.
If commercial software vendors want to slow down the invasion of open-source code, minor changes won't work. It's time for them to show their real capabilities. On the other hand, open-source technology continues to advance. Below, I will review some of the major events in the open-source field that occurred in 2007.