(This post recently got linked on Japanese blogs. 英語より日本語の方が楽な方:これを和訳しようとしています。日本語版はこちらです。) Every once in a while, somebody on the Business of Software forums asks whether there is any point to trying to compete with open source software (OSS — essentially, software anyone can use and modify without needing to pay money or receive permission). This is very possible, as folks such as Joel Spolsky