Open Source, Job Security, Competitive Advantage & Geek Speak

Choose Two of the topics related to this week's materials to discuss in-depth:

1. Open Source
   Take a piece of closed source software that you or your BOI uses. Research to find if there is an open source alternative. If there is an alternative, what are the rules under which the software can be used according to its license. Would using this open source alternative be wise? Why or why not?
   
   
2. Job Security
   Describe what job security means to you personally. How can you differentiate yourself as an employee to contribute to your job security? Is there really such a thing as job security? Why or why not.
   
   
3. Competitive Advantage
   Describe an organization that has effectively managed to lock in customers. How have they done so? -- OR -- Describe a business that has obtained a competitive advantage through either products or business process.
   
   
4. Geek Speak [Ethics]
   The IT industry is filled with people who speak geek. There are people in this industry who can make plugging in an appliance sound like only someone with a Ph.D. in Engineering could accomplish the task. Whether purposefully or not the technical language is sometimes thrown around in such a way as to make others not as familiar with the technical terms feel completely inept. The article, 10 Surprising Tech Dangers to Your BusinessLinks to an external site.highlights a few of the problems those in positions of leadership in a company can make in terms of dealing with technology including a few caused by the tech language barrier. Read the brief article and reflect on the ethical problems exposed by one or two of the ten dangers. Which danger do you think is most problematic? Why?