@akareilly That is not limited to open source. Any lab older than 20 years I've been to has at least one corner if not a whole room of old/unmaintained equipment that could be fixed for a fraction of the cost of new shiny things. But: New shiny things ("invest") is covered by grants, fixing old things ("repairs") is not.

That's why, for a long time already, I am convinced that this grant system is just an elaborate covert subsidy system.