Dan O'Reilly wrote:
(...)
> Caveat emptor: this is going to continue my unpopular thoughts on this
> subject, but I have the right to make my feelings known as well.
I also think strongly that you have the right to tell us your opinions.
(...)
> The thing that kills me about this
> whole "free software" thing is that people seem to expect me, as a business
> owner, to invest literally hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of $$$ to
> develop software, betting my company on it, then give it away just because
> people don't want to pay. Where's the incentive, then, to develop quality
> software, if people are to force you to give it up with no hope of recovering
> your development costs?
We do not say that companies must leave their source for free, you are right in this,
but your interpretation of free source software is really unusual. I think that
copyright
and a *VERY SELDOM* patenting policy could supply our needs. I say 'our' because I
am also a developer. I know how much is expensive to write quality sw and how
can free source help me in reaching this.
You also forget to mention who, for personal reasons, prefers to make his/her source
public. We want to let both business companies and free developers continue to exist
and continue to sell their products. A free-source based business is possible today,
and the word 'free' doesn't mean 'no-cost', but just 'public'. I can sell a open
program to someone, adding my 'plus valore' on it.
With the actual patenting practice this shouldn't be possible anymore.
>
> The other argument, that of "it's just mathematical equations", is equally
> as farcical. Books are just collections of words, yet people copyright them.
It is not farcical and your example does not apply. Infact COPYRIGHT is a totally
different thing and words are just similar to language-instructions.
Imagine you want to do a movie where one guy must sing in the rain, and that you
cannot do it because it's claimed by a patent registered for the famous
"singing in the rain"...
Intellectual property is a fragile topic. It is not right to solve it your way.
> Surely words should be in the public domain, right? If it's that easy, then
> expend your own resources and write your own algorithms. If you build a
> better mousetrap...
I don't feel free in trying to build it better: I could be sued.
--
free source for free understanding
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