Ti invito a leggere lo studio seguente:
Why Open Source Software

In relazione alla tua domanda ti allego tre brani (ma andrebbe letto tutto):
"Free in Linux spells freedom -- freedom to use Linux, freedom to use the code, freedom to tweak and improve it. Not being a programmer, I still can be happy about many things. For me, freedom has meant that my operating system is transparent, and there are no hidden codes at work in my computer. Nothing about Linux is hidden from me. ... I’ve gained more control over my computer for the first time in my life.

"OSS/FS users can tailor the product as necessary to meet their needs in ways not possible without source code. Users can tailor the product themselves, or hire whoever they think can solve the problem (including the original developer). Some have claimed that this creates the “danger of forking,” that is, of multiple incompatible versions of a product. This is “dangerous” only to those who think competition is evil - we have multiple versions of cars as well. And in practice, the high cost of maintaining software yourself has resulted in a process in which the change is contributed back to the community. If it’s not contributed (e.g., it solves a problem that needed solving but only for a specialized situation), then it’s still a win for the user - because it solved a user’s problem which would have been unsolved otherwise.
For example, in 1998 Microsoft decided against developing an Icelandic version of Windows 95 because the limited size of the market couldn’t justify the cost. Without the source code, the Islandic people had little recourse. However, OSS/FS programs can be modified, so Icelandic support was immediately added to them, without any need for negotiation with a vendor. In contrast, in July 2004, Welsh support for in the OSS/FS OpenOffice.org became available, the first complete office environment available in Welsh. Users never know when they will have a specialized need not anticipated by their vendor; being able to change the source code makes it possible to support those unanticipated needs."

"The IDC study “Western European End-User Survey: 2005 Spending Priorities, Outsourcing, Open Source, and Impact of Compliance” surveyed 625 European companies of over 100 employees. They found that 25% had significant OSS/FS operating system (Linux) deployments (beyond limited deployments or pilots), and 33% had significant OSS/FS database deployments. The most important cited OSS/FS benefit wasn’t lower cost, but was the flexibility of deploying whenever they wanted without having to negotiate anything. In addition, many companies specifically stated that a key advantage of OSS/FS was the flexibility provided because it could be customized; this wasn’t one of the multiple-choice answers, yet many companies added it as a comment."

Buona lettura.