Of course, if only the foreign tool has the required functionality, it wins (no purity here).
API: Like patches, you might not need it now, or the API might not even exist yet.
Fork: Agreed, that was not a realistic scenario. Maybe a better argument would have been the ability to write plugins or extensions (even if you do not need them now).
Forum: Yeah not really important.
Patches: Agreed, who has time for patches. Like forking, probably not going to happen.
Additional (weak) argument: Better paradigm / metaphor match between tool and your system.
But yes, other factors are probably even more important, like will the tool still be actively maintained in 10 years? How big and active is the company / community behind the tool. How mature is it. How big is the existing user base. Cost, support options...
API: Like patches, you might not need it now, or the API might not even exist yet. Fork: Agreed, that was not a realistic scenario. Maybe a better argument would have been the ability to write plugins or extensions (even if you do not need them now). Forum: Yeah not really important. Patches: Agreed, who has time for patches. Like forking, probably not going to happen. Additional (weak) argument: Better paradigm / metaphor match between tool and your system.
But yes, other factors are probably even more important, like will the tool still be actively maintained in 10 years? How big and active is the company / community behind the tool. How mature is it. How big is the existing user base. Cost, support options...