Don't you just wish Rev would do this?

[Peter Alcibiades]

David writes:  "Both are much much harder in my environment with a pure closed 
source solution - and it is getting harder."

The issue really is powerlessness, not just against the supplier, but against 
events beyond the control of the supplier.  Hypercard showed one form of this 
very clearly.   You can get orphaned as a user, no matter how much goodwill 
and committment the supplier has.  The problem is that the number of 
attractive open source alternatives of which this is not true is multiplying 
all the time.  

It may be very hard to make money by open sourcing your bread and butter, but 
it also may be very hard to get your product to the scale it needs to be and 
can be, while keeping it closed, so its not risk free either way.

If you were consulting to Rev, you'd say this was one that had to be looked at 
very carefully.   But my goodness, it would be a bet the company kind of 
decision.  Good luck, if you are thinking about it.

Peter