Why are people happy to accept software that is supplied without the Source Code? I’m sure nobody would dare eat a cake if there was no list of ingredients on the box; after all, it might contain animal fat, something you were allergic to, an addictive drug to make you keep buying cakes from the same bakery or just poison.

When you download Open Source software such as Firefox, Pidgin or OpenOffice.org you also get the Source Code — the internal stuff used and understood by competent programmers. If the software isn’t quite right for how you work, you can change it or pay someone to change it for you — you are encouraged to make alterations as long as you share the changes you make with the rest of the world. And you know there is nothing nasty like spyware in there because someone would complain — or remove it — if there was.

Why would anyone want software that they weren’t allowed to look inside or alter? And why would they pay money for it when Open Source is free?