I’m not sure enterprise computing was ever based on open/general tech. In the 80s everything ran on closed-source for-pat Unix systems and big-iron proprietary

I’m not sure enterprise computing was ever based on open/general tech. In the 80s everything ran on closed-source for-pat Unix systems and big-iron proprietary mainframes. In the 90s that shifted more to Linux but increasingly companies would buy “appliances”, which are pieces of general purpose hardware combined with specific software. Those appliances were never meant to be opened or toyed with and the hardware lifecycle was based on the software lifecycle. If the software was discontinued, the hardware was thrown out as well. Appliances are still very popular today because again enterprise companies like stability and predictability. An appliance is the ultimate lock-in and enterprise companies LOVE them.