David Bovill wrote: < snipped out a large section >
I hope that is entertaining enough Richmond? _______________________________________________
Humpf! I would have chosen another word, rather than 'entertaining'. As has been mentioned previously, it won't stop somebody pinching something if they want to. A little bird told me that certain large computer software companies (cough, cough), knowing that their highly paid lawyers can trample all over people, have been gaily pinching small people's ideas for donkey's ages and rolling them out as their own. Ultimately, the whole thing doesn't really come down to legalese, but whether people are honest or not. Living as I do in a country where the computers run on a 99% Windows installed base, and where about 90% of that is pirate, and cheating is virtually institutionalised, I have found the current discussion vaguely interesting from a philosophical point of view. But as a serious discussion about the real world it seems a bit silly. I have introduced about 50 children to RunRev over the last 5 years; until the advent of revMedia 4 I had to explain to them that I would NOT give them personal copies of RR, complete with licence numbers for nothing: I think it would be fair to say that all of them thought I was bonkers. Don't reply by telling me that Bulgaria is "a special case" because it isn't; it is representative of a very large section of the world; a section with which, sooner or later, all of you who live in the 'West' (i.e. where software piracy only really happens on a personal basis) will have to engane with. --------------------- I am also sure that not very many of the RunRev community wish to see the setting up of some sort of totalitarian snooping organisation (although they are trying their damnedest in Britain) to check everyone's PC on a daily basis for "naughty" stuff. So there has to be another way to stop piracy. One of the ways is Open Source. The only problem about that is how the programmer os going to fill his/her fridge. Personally I rather like the 'Freemium' concept, and intend to release my 'Sanskrit Typewriter' in that way: 1. A web-based system that is FREE, and is capable of encoding Classical Sanskrit without restrictions. 2. A standalone that COSTS MONEY, that has all the capabilities of the FREE version and an extremely sophisticated set of routines for coping with all the ramifications of Devanagari script semi-automatically. In theory, at least, this should reduce piracy of the end product, as the free version will be capable of doing anything that the "casual Sanskrit hobbyist" (err . . . work that one out) will need. I will keep the code tightly against my chest! _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [email protected] Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
