Paul wrote:
My experience with trying to explain the main issues with the acceptance
of Linux is that most people don't understand.
- They don't understand what an operating system is
- they don't know what source code is
- Understanding how the GPL can affect their concept of
"intellectual property"... well forget it.
When I try and explain I dont even get that far. They just dont get why anyone
would give software away for "free".
Sometimes I find that opening their minds to the differences
between information and physical things helps:
Usually a quick explanation of how, to reproduce a physical
product (loaf of bread, say) requires use of resources
(flour, yeast, electricity for oven etc) each of which costs.
Plus there is the cost of distributing the reproduced product.
Reproducing digitally stored information can be done at
practically no cost. Therefore, the only cost of a program
is the once-off cost of actually writing the program.
There does not need to be any production cost,
nor, with the internet, any distribution costs.
All that is needed is 1 in a 100 programmers who are willing
to give away their software for free, and that software can
spread around the world at no cost to the programmer, apart
from the initial investment in the product, which, if they
are a real geek, they probably had fun writing anyway.
Cheers,
Carl.
