Independence

Free and open source guarantees the greatest possible independence from formats:

Free and open source relies on open standards and each format is implemented as part of the source code of the applications and is thus available.

Solutions:
Due to the high independence of formats and the possibility to integrate existing formats into new applications, the user is not permanently committed to a solution.

Providers:
Each free and open-source solution is usually supported by a variety of providers and thus offers markets instead of monoculture.