sblanton++ Your comments are much appreciated.

I would like to clarify one thing, I don't mind spending money, especially other peoples money;) But we have specific requirements with respect to open source. Basically, whenever possible use open source. The reason behind this is that we cannot afford to depend on Vendors that might go bankrupt (we have experience with that). Our projects can typically last for 10+ years. Some SW will have to work for many more years. Obviously the quality of open source varies a lot. In my experience you have to be very careful in selecting products and tooling. Things like install base, active community etc. are important factors. Also with commercial tools you can get stuffed. I once ended up between IBM and Oracle pointing to each other:( IBM blaming the database and Oracle blaming WebSphere.

Cheers

Harold