EU software patent law faces axe 793
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On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 22:12:54 +0000, Kier Seems like he is, or cannot comprehend what people tell him. Or only sees...
How about shooting me a copy of RHEL if you have one handy? You are just a user, by your own admission here. You are going where the code contributors send you or you are not going anywhere from where you are right now. Of course you are in the same fix with Microsoft, but at least Microsoft has some people buttigned full time to looking down the road.
Shouldn't they be proud of the fact?
On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 23:33:35 +0000, billwg I don't use Red Hat, haven't for some time. You...
I don't think that we have been discussing the desktop at all, kier, but it is a valid topic...
Free as in "no charge" and "ware" as in "software", hence "freeware". Well you're just rationalizing your weak position in the chain. If you read the reference above, the gurus of the movement are pretty adamant about the code give back angle. Their whole shtick of insisting on source release is part and parcel to that. If you are just the clueless user, you don't need any source and source only serves to confuse you. The rationale for the movement to endure is for the originator to get back the improvements made by the community.
If no one ever gives any code back, the whole thing will disappear in a hurry. Well, the people who write code get back from one another. That is supposed to satisfy them. I'm sure they are pleased by having an avid audience of people who don't code and who fawn on the code writers instead. But the developers are the ones who make the system work and they are not being fed very well by those who don't give back code. Tens of thousands of developers make a good living at it. Very few make a billion bucks. Besides, you said that he could do a lot better than "make money" and I say he could not. Well, if his product is actually superior to the one that everyone is using, then it would be a lot of benefit to the users to have Mr. Softee hand out the better product, eh? Are you in this to make the world better or to stick it to Microsoft? You all started by claiming to be "altruistic" IIRC, and what better way than to bring the good word to the mbuttes? Bill Gates can do that. Linus on his own cannot even begin to do that. Points out that even a superstar can look a lot better on a winning team than on a loser.