Giving Views on Open Source Development

Hi all,

A few days ago I was asked by a student in America (I am in the UK) if I was willing to help with his research for an essay investigating the open source versus closed source development. He picked me because of the number of open source scripts I give away on my website.

I agreed and have just finished writing him my reply - hopefully it will be of some use, and perhaps some of the people here may agree or disagree with my views (I am a software developer working mainly on closed source projects due to both utility and necessity, although I am somewhat regarded as the "open source evangelist" within the company I work for).

My replies are available in my blog;

And here are his questions...

1. What day to day work are you actively involved in with Open source software and coding? Do you ever find yourself being forced to work with Microsoft or other similar software during this time? Why is this?

2. Is your preference towards Open Source style coding more ethically or technically based? What got you started with Open Source to begin with?

3. What are some specific advantages that you feel Open Source offers that closed-source companies lack?

4. Is there anything that would make you change your preference? What can companies such as Microsoft do to place themselves in better standing with Open Source coders?