Maybe they always overlap somehow, software needs support. Really good and complex software need more support than one person can do just with his free time. I am not sure from where this support could come from.

From universities, donations, companies, governments? The Linux kernel, for example, is very complex and needs a lot of work all the time since new hardware and software need it , and it is well supported by really big  companies like google, novell and red har. Other areas this is not so easy to get support from companies, so I now just can think of the other options: donations from people that make money or work seriouly with the software, universities and government programmes. The last one seems unlikely to happen but here in Brazil the present government is officially supporting Linux and some software projects. Donations from professionals and Universities can help Free Software a lot too. 2010/7/19 drew Roberts <zotz(a)100jamz.com> > On Sunday 18 July 2010 11:36:42 you wrote: > > On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 10:04 AM, drew Roberts <zotz(a)100jamz.com> wrote: > > > Commercial and Free are not opposites. > > > > no, just siblings who fight with each other like crazy for 18 years > > before developing a deep and abiding love for each other :) > > Free and Commercial can intersect / overlap. Venn wise.