Carr (2003) is correct that competitive advantage is short-lived with information technology (IT). At best, a company can gain an advantage as either an early-adopter or proprietor of a technology. However, for most this is a long shot and unnecessary for success. Carr is keen to make the analogy between IT and prior technologies such as the railroad and telegraph. He should have made a stronger point that IT is exactly like those technologies, in that it has also become communal. Since we read Carr's article in hindsight, we know that much of today's IT has since adopted the open source approach (e.g. Linux, Drupal, iOS, and Android and to name a few widespread IT impactors). Carr wrote that we would pay for new technology but it would be cheap. Instead it is open to everyone and free (albeit with several indirect costs). Thus, with today's IT we are able to gain advantage from the work of many, and avoid needless technology battles in competition.