The argument over the utility of open source has one more voter in the yes camp. This time, it's the Journal Register Company, a U.S. newspaper chain with 170 publications. Calling it their Ben Franklin Project, the company tried open source for a month. Things went so well they've decided to make it permanent and company-wide for their 18 daily newspapers and their websites. Sponsor In a somewhat cutesy press release, the company declares its "independence from proprietary publishing systems." Newspapers have seen a sustained drop in readership, and therefore in revenues, over the last half-decade.