Hi Dark, Well, that is precisely why I have been migrating towards a complete open source platform like Linux. It isn't just an issue of money, but the complete ideology behind the right to do with the software whatever you want. You can give it away, you can modify it, and pretty much anything else you want except sell it. In that way Linux is free not only in cost but in personal freedom as well.
To give you an example of this freedom in action take the Sonar Project. A couple of weeks ago a blind software developer was unhappy with Vinux, which is a Linux distribution developed specially for the blind, and was dissatisfied with bigger name brand distributions like Ubuntu because 12.10 has totally broken faith with the blind accessibility wise. So this developer took the Ubuntu 12.04 stable source and custom built his own Linux distribution called Sonar and included everything a blind person needs to use Linux without sight. He removed inaccessible packages such as the Unity 3D desktop and replaced it with the Gnome Classic desktop. Along the way he fixed problems such as Metacity overwriting your keyboard layout rendering desktop keyboard commands useless until you reset them. As a result Sonar is actually more stable and more accessible than the name brand distribution it was based on. Obviously, this type of freedom isn't possible with Mac OS or Windows. You can't just go in and build your own custom copy of Windows or Mac OS and hand it out to everyone who might like your version better. While accessibility issues still remains on Linux I think in the end this freedom to modify and redistribute the software will prove a better long term strategy for accessibility. Sonar is a shining example of how one person with the right skills can modify a name brand distribution and turn it into a very accessible and powerful desktop operating system that can compete with Windows, Mac OS, and even other Linux distributions in terms of accessibility. Not to mention, for me the fact I don't need 10,000 product keys for each application I use makes it much easier to get and install the software I like. All I have to do is go to the Software Center, browse for the app I want, and press enter on the Install button. It will download and install the app without any product keys required. I've found that to be a big help when reinstalling my computer from scratch. In fact, the only software I have for Linux that requires a product key are the commercial voices I paid for such as Dectalk, the Cepstral voices, and a couple of things like that. Otherwise I really don't have to spend a lot of time on that non-sense. As I've said before in the past I don't mind paying for software if it is something I like such as games and stuff, but I will absolutely not put up with unfair key replacement policies such as Microsoft's simply because it is highly unfair to the honest paying customer. The dishonest people who crack software will get past the security, no matter what it is, and the honest paying customers always end up getting stuck paying for new keys because they are more likely to pay the price for a new key than rather than resort to a crack. Therefore in the case of Draconis if I have to pay $25 for a game because I lost the key that's not such a big deal compared to what I'd have to pay if one of my computers needed a serious hardware replacement and I'd have to get a new copy of Windows 7 for it. Cheers! On 9/2/12, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Same reason as apple charge for the privelige of writing software for their > > os, ---- because they are big companies and they can, ---- the scum. > > And people wonder why piracy exists. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
