Fee or Free

Why is it that, with so many free tools out there to do the jobs that we do everyday, that we still feel the need to fork out money, on tools that cost alot of cash?

For example: where I work for me to do my job according to the coorporate policy, my collegues and I need to be able to use the following tools

Web King
Mercury Quality Center
WinRunner

Not to mention all the programming tools and standard Microsoft functionality.

Do we really need all of these tools? The simple answer is NO.

Large organisations go with the well known pay for tools and this is why:

1. They have a reputation for quality so little work is required to confirm it will work.
2. Training can be easily obtained.
3. Support is readily available.
4. A tool is likely to continue to be provided and not be dropped.

For a small flexible organisation on a lower budget however the free tools are ideal and all it will take is a little research.