Gartner Tips Open Source Adoption To Rise

June 16th, 2006: Research firm Gartner says that proprietary will be feeling the pinch over the next five years, predicting that open source will steal 22 percent of the traditional software market.

Gartner analysts say that the desire to keep costs down will be the driving factor behind the takeup as small to medium businesses (SMBs) look to open source solutions. Particularly in areas such as application development tools and integration software, where proprietary solutions with all the bells and whistles can turn out to be overkill.

“Customers are looking at tools like databases, and realising they don't need the sophistication offered by proprietary software,” Gartner analyst Laurie Wurster told vnunet.com. “In fact, 70 percent of those who are purchasing open source systems are doing so in preference to software from traditional vendors.”

Open source solutions have been gathering steam for a while now, Gartner’s finding again illustrate their growing importance as a viable alternative to proprietary software solutions.

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