This timely story on open source from CIO magazine says that 54% of the 375 CIO's they surveyed said that open source software would be their dominant server platform. Saying it doesn't make it so, but it does indicate an expectation and a level of awareness that I think is unprecedented. The article says:
...for years open source has been dismissed as pie-in-the-sky, a toy for geeks. But today open source is undergoing a business revolution.
The article's conclusion?
CIOs who don't come to terms with this revolution in 2003 will be paying too much for IT in 2004. To avoid getting stung, CIOs should pursue as least some components of this 2003 open-source agenda.
Their recommendations include getting your feet wet with Internet pilot projects.