Vendor lock-in is either a key technology problem or an overhyped marketing missile depending on the point of view. I think there's a definition problem at the heart of the agita over in the issue. John Dewey remarked, "A problem well put is half-solved," so I aim to reframe the question while trying to avoid bikeshedding. The heart of vendor lock-in is the obscene nature of the problem, by which I mean "I know it when I see it" a la Potter Stewart's famous opinion on obscenity laws. You can almost hear the start of a Jeff Foxworthy routine...