Both Linden Labs and Adobe recently opened the source code for products I've been exposed to, but haven't had much interest in until now.  Sharing the source for both Second Life and Flex has force me to reconsider them viable, long term technologies. 

Brian McMurray has been trying to convince me to use Flex on CakePHP in projects like phpLabMan.  I've been pushing back on these because I think they add a level of complexity on top of the LAMP stack that less people will be interested in installing or contributing to.  Whenever a company opens their technology to potential I feel like they are saying, we are capable of competing on a level playing field.  We offer services or interfaces that will add value to our version to the tools or environment. 

Ed Lamoureux is performing in Second Life tonight.  I've always found Second Life interesting.  I like the idea that buildings and performances venues require almost as much planning and forethought as a "meat spaces".  I talked with a few of the Linden folks at SXSW.  One was an MBA the other one of the orginal world designers.  Neither had an answer for why anyone would pay real money for something that had no true cost to duplication.  I see this as the same fundemental flaw in Linden's business model as the RIAA's attempt to use the legal system to convince the public that digital recordings have value.  So far it seems the public isn't buying DRM and doesn't feel it should be illegal to share something when there is very little cost to make and distribute copies.   Technology created the recording industry.  Technology has now distroyed it, but music will live on as performers revert back to live performances to make a living.  In open sourcing Second Life, Linden is saying that they are creating value beyond just code, servers, and bandwidth.  It's that "something else" and the fact that with an open environment there might be a home for Suzanne Vega's guitar outside of Second Life.