On his blog today, Marco Tabini has his take on free software and the Open Source movement - including, of course, a bit concerning PHP.

I also have no problem stating that I like the fact that open-source software is free. On a personal level, I’m happy about freedom as in free speech, but on a business level my primary concern is freedom as in free beer. I support open-source software (unlike the vast majority, not just with words, but also with a considerable amount of cash in donations to various OSS projects every year), but I do so in a guarded way and where it makes sense for my goals.

The same goes for software: a good developer can often get things done faster and better in PHP than, say, in Java, but ends up being paid half (or less). Of course, there is a lower barrier of entry in PHP, but it’s not just because the language is simpler—it’s also because it’s cheaper.

He also touches on a few other topics, including: how OSS can be a beneficial asset to a business (and how it can be bad), talk about the real revolutionaries of the software industry, and how PHP is a "more free" solution than most of the other web scripting languages out there...