[WalterBright]

I would not argue that it works in all cases, my only point was that open source is very compatible with capitalism and lots of companies find it very profitable to go open and free source.

> I suspect it's a negotiating tactic.

Of course it is!

[dalke]

Certainly. So, what does "trust" mean?

Do I trust them to undercut the price I think is reasonable? Do I trust them to tell me what the software is really worth to them? Do I trust that they will value my time appropriately?

That's why I have a problem with the word "trust" in this context.

[WalterBright]

Trust means if you make a deal with them, they'll abide by the terms.

Trust does not mean they won't negotiate hard to get the best deal they can. Trust does not mean they are obliged to show you their cards. Trust does not mean they value your time as you would.

I suspect you'll be very disappointed if you consider the latter to be trust issues.

[dalke]

I understand what you are saying. I want "trust" to mean something more than "will follow the terms of a deal."

Instead, trust is a highly multi-dimensional, culturally context-dependent concept. As such, I get little guidance from the phrase "trusting customers works", when I know that each aspect of trust has its own set of parameters, including some where I have no experience to guide me.