Open Source ERP - Compiere

Compiere, a Portland based company, is following an interesting strategy. They have created an ERP solution for small businesses and have made its source code open to all. They will make money by implementing and supporting the product. Watch out SAP, Microsoft, Oracle! Here comes the next wave of open source applications. Pretty soon we will see Larry Ellison complain about open source. Irony is that he will have something to share with Bill Gates - hatred for open source.

Btw, Gartner has come up with a bold prediction - "By 2010, IT organizations in Global 2000 companies will consider open-source products in 80 percent of their infrastructure-focused software investments and 25 percent of their business software investments." Is there a site that tracks the track record of predictions/advice from Gartner and Forrester? I don't know how they can forecast such things. Who know in 1998 that open source would be such a force in 2005. The guys at Gartner probably hadn't heard of OSS (yes, now there is an acronym for open source software.)

Bottom line, we have seen enormous changes in the software industry in the last 10 years and I don't know if it is all for good.