[Brad]

I wanted to add one thing;

From the OP's post

Take Windows for example. Don't like Windows and don't want to pay? Linux. Don't want to pay for Photoshop? The Gimp. Don't want to pay for a HTML or web editor? Take your pick from hundreds. Don't want to pay for Microsoft Office? Open Office. But for vBulletin and Invision there ARE NO alternatives.

Have you used linux on the desktop? Have you used linux in environments where support of the Win32 API and .NET APIs are requirements? For many of us it's not possible to "switch to linux" or "switch to MAC" or use anything else but Windows. I can name a few programs off the top of my head that I use everyday that will not run in linux; Visual Studio, DGindex, AvsP, AviSynth, Aegisub, Cinema Craft Encoder, and many other applications. Sure I know there is WINE and native linux alternatives and that will cover some of my needs but not all of them. At the end of the day if I don't have Windows XP on my desktop I'm not getting any work done.

What I'm getting at is it's easy to point at linux and claim it's a good alternative to Windows but like everything else in the world it's going to depend on the end user's needs. Let me ask you this; Would you install Linux on your mothers computer? Now before you say "Yes!" think about this. Is she going to be able to run a game, or piece of software that her friend brings over? How many times are you going to have to visit to install dependencies and emulators? Do you think it's going to support an ancient game made back in the Win95 days?

Lets take your photoshop/GIMP example. Have you used GIMP to do any professional grade work and if so how did it compare to Photoshop? I've used both pieces of software and I know as well as anyone else that The GIMP doesn't measure up to Photoshop in features. The GIMP also has a horrible user interface that no one seems interested in fixing any time soon. The GIMP is also a horrible name and I hate hearing it every time that it comes out of my mouth. I feel like I'm making fun of people that don't walk that well.

Your Open Office example is better but you know as well as I do that it lags behind Microsoft Office in many ways. Although that has a lot to do with Microsoft coming up with a new file format every couple of years.

As for there begin no alternatives to vBulletin or IPB; I must disagree. There are plenty of open source, non-open source but free, and commercial alternatives out there. Heck you could even start your own if you really wanted to. vB and IPB are just the "big boys" these days is all. If you _really_ wanted to get away from them you could. Why you don't is beyond me but I'm betting it has a lot to do with your needs as an end user.