Currently the best Operating-system (linux), the best webserver (apache), the best browser (firefox) and the best office application (Open Office.org) are ope- source. Maybe the greatest advantage these applications have is supreme security, but somehow I fear that security-game which is currently played will still kill them off.

Microsoft has created an insecure web-experience, but few people see it that way. They believe virusses and add-ware is just something wich comes with every computer-system. This is Microsoft marketing at its best because all those things don't exists with other operating systems and applications. But the Microsoft Marketing is capable of so much more: convince everyone that the next operating system called Windows Longhorn will be the most secure platform ever. But the scary part is that it will not only be marketing. They will introduce Trusted computing!

Trusted computing will make sure only trusted applications can be run on your computer, this will be enforced by your hardware so you can't fake it. Normal applications can run on you're computer because the code is signed by ... Microsoft. That's right, the only code which you can run on you're computer must be signed by Microsoft. This will mean you can't install Linux on you're windows pc, no dual boot. Now this should not be so bad because there are still enough computers with no Trusted Computing so you will be able to do anything you want on those. But Cisco (the biggest supplier for internet hardware like routers) is planning to release a router which locks out computers which do not run on a trusted platform. So you're linux box will eventually be locked out from the internet. Free Software like Open Source software will cease to exist.

Things will probably never become that bad, but we should be aware of the silent changes. There are big players with lots of money who want to control what you can and can't do with you're computer. More control means more money for them. This goes for Microsoft because it is harder for you to switch to another software provider so they can simply ask for money, they can even ask a montly fee because no software you buy will last forever like it does now. And the same applies to Movies and Music. You will not be able to share you're music and it too will not last forever. Then they will be able to ask for the same absurd prices as they do with dvd's and cd's...