Would I use open source software over free commercial software? Before considering using open source software for a business, I think one should consider whether I would use open source software and why; these reasons, or similar ones, may apply to the business context. Although I primarily use commercial software packages, I also use open source software programs, particularly Firefox. The reason I use Firefox as my default browser over IE or Chrome is because of the customization options available. The other two browsers are customizable, but not to the same extent as Firefox. Perhaps the reason for this customization is because it is open source, and therefore developers are not limited to the amount of access they are granted as is the case with commercial software developers. There is also a repository of add-ons or extensions, available for installation in Firefox. It should be noted that these extensions are not guaranteed to be safe. Therefore, if you install an extension, it may mess with your computer and steal your information. . . or function perfectly; There is no guarantee nor does there need to be one. There are no legal implications for Mozilla should any complications arise. It would be very difficult for a commercial software company to implement directly because there is an agreement that the company's software (for example, the software will not steal your identity). To implement this, a trading company could have testers for the extension to make sure they are safe, this would probably take a lot of time and money, especially if there are a large number of extensions. Alternatively, they could hire developers to create the extensions, but the limited number of developers certainly couldn't...... middle of paper ......n Firefox. If this simple functionality is taken from open source software, what other features could commercial software also implement? An example of the opposite open source software that takes functionality from commercial software is OpenOffice. OpenOffice is practically the same as Microsoft Office; both have a text editor, spreadsheet, and presentation program. Within these programs the functionality is very close, if not even the same. However, I don't think that open source software threatens to derail commercial software. For the simple reason: "How many companies choose to use open source software over commercial software"? Open source software, in my opinion, could reduce a small percentage of the profits of commercial software companies in the SOHO market, but nothing that would significantly harm commercial companies..