The power of open source to re-shape the software market was demonstrated with some force this week. Unfortunately, also on display this week in large doses was the ongoing clash of agendas between Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman.

The power of open source to disrupt existing business models was shown as software maker Borland walked away from its IDE (Integrated Development Environment) product line, citing the growth and ubiquity of open source tools in the space in general, and Eclipse in particular. The Eclipse platform was originally created by IBM, but was spun off as an open source product in 2004, a move that in hindsight seems particularly prescient. A community of developers quickly formed around the open source offering and Eclipse has grown steadily since.

In a very good analysis of the situation, eWeek explained how Borland was caught between a rock and a hard place...

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