Why buy an opensource solution, when it is free

Often the word "free" is used as synonym for Open Source. But Management people often expect the same meaning as in "free lunch", whereas the developer hears the word as in "free speech".

The presentation will cover a number of development projects where Open Source solutions where chosen for embedded devices. The projects were different in terms of size, functionality, performance and not least in personal experiences. Getting complex software to produce results in terms of stable products is not always easy. With open source software we found ourselves spending days, even weeks searching help online. The common lesson learned; the two strategies: "figure it out by yourself" and "pay for the help of someone who knows it well" does indeed have cost related issues attached. I will not give the one and only "right answer" as this is a secret also to me, but discuss the need for identifying and removing one of the often overlooked risks in the product development.