> I basically fail to digest why people release something as FreeSource?I > understand it is done to bring out the best. If so, then why is this > concept not extended to other forms of "Engineering"? Why don’t people > build bridges for free, why don’t people construct marvellous buildings > for free?so that others can emulate and design better buildings?
Because I can sit down on a Saturday afternoon and write a useful program with no more cost than my time and the computer I own. To build a bridge or a building requires not only my effort, but expensive material, expensive land, and expensive labor. A better comparison might be to ask why recording artists do not place some of their material into the public domain (or "open lyrics"). I think in this case it is a matter of culture and history. The software industry have a unique history and culture (IMO). > Is it that human effort goes unpaid? Or do they get involved in a long > term investment. My pay off comes from the fact that I love to program. So I program. My reward is the program that I produce. I give my software away for two reasons. One, it saves others work. And in return, I expect them to save me work. Two, it helps my career. I have landed several good paying jobs based entirely on the exposure I got from my open source projects. It also improves my skill. ==========================================================================To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "signoff EJB-INTEREST". For general help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "help".
