"I'm not impressed when a company whose software is totally built on Microsoft technologies goes open-source," said Rosenberg, who even suspects that the company is being promoted by Microsoft "as a shill" to burnish Redmond's image in open-source circles.

Aras CEO Peter Schroer admits that the company has taken some heat for continuing to bill itself a "Microsoft enterprise open source software solution provider," though he denies the company is receiving extraordinary financial support from Microsoft.

Schroer says going open-source was simply a smart business decision that will help Aras as it would any other open-source firm: reducing marketing costs and speeding up the sales cycle, allowing the company to focus more on technical development and to better create a community of users sharing tips and code.

Moreover, Schroer rebuffs the notion that embracing open-source entails signing up to be card-carrying member of the overthrow-Windows faction.

"Software doesn't have to run on Linux to be considered open," he said.