Executives from companies including SpikeSource, JBoss, and Sun Microsystems debated everything from open source business models to how commercial software giants will respond to open source. They debated during an event entitled, "The Open Source Effect," sponsored by the Churchill Club (http://www.churchillclub.org/).

"The game has changed completely. There is rulebook, no guidebook to consult," said SpikeSource CEO Kim Polese, commenting on the difference in business models between her previous commercial venture, Marimba, and open source-driven SpikeSource.

"We're having to be creative here on how we bring these products to market," she said. SpikeSource has focused on enabling use of open source software at small and medium-sized businesses and has been working with value-added resellers, Polese said.

The open source world is young enough that there is no right answer as to which business model to use, said Andy Astor, CEO of EnterpriseDB. "It's really a fascinating time," he said.

However, open source will become part of the fabric of IT deployments the way client-server is now, Astor said. "Open source is going to be a big yawn in five years," he said.