> What, ESR and Larry Augustin didn't do anything for you? (-: No, I guess not, now that I think about it, at least not much. > > Something that struck me while watching the film was how all these > > big shots [...] could not figure out how to make progress in their > > field (computer and software technology) because of the limiting > > factor of ideas in their heads, > > That is absolutely false. Silly Valley is constantly churning with > new ideas. In the last three years, I've had friends at startups > working on: > > Web-based photo developing (ofoto and shutterfly) > A 360 degree panoramic video camera (bethere) > A digital VCR (TiVo) > About a dozen storage-area-network companies > An mp3 sharing directory (Yes, I had friends at Napster, and > Anne even interviewed there right > when the lawsuits were starting.) > A router that can be sublet by interface or by bandwidth > A satellite based web content delivery system (geocast) > A disk driver that automatically backs up the disk > 3D audio spatialization software (me at SGI) > > That's just the most interesting ones I can think of offhand, and all > of them were for-profit enterprises. My point is that there is no > shortage of innovation, and that greed doesn't necessarily inhibit it.
None of those things impact my life (except that I watched a show on a TiVo for the first time the other night) whereas GNU/Linux does. I see profit-driven innovation primarily producing more toys for the already rich, whereas free "liberation" software attempts to empower the masses and strengthen the bonds of civilized society as a whole. But then, that's just me. <grin> Dexter
