ARTICLE: Free For All

[Charles A. Reynolds]

1.    Can somebody name an open source operating system without the word
LINUX in it?
2.    Can anyone take an open source application modify it and then use
copywriter
 protections against use by others?
3.    Why are people so interested in tearing down a company that has
created more jobs
 (directly or indirectly) than most industries?

After reading the article in more detail I do not believe that the author
understands Open
Source as I do.  Does IBM ship its Mainframes with proprietary information?
No.  Does SUN
Microsystems ship all of its proprietary information with each system?  No.
Does Oracle ship
systems with proprietary information? No.  These are some of the most
profitable and stable
companies in America.  Why?

Does just the fact that an application comes with source make it an Open
Source Software?  I was
under the impression that open source meant collaboration with the community
at large.

Can any IT manager justify spending resources to enrich the community at
large at the expense
of the companies objective?  No.

Why is the open source community adverse to the notion of profit?  How do I
make money sitting
at home pounding code for somebody else to use at will?  Please tell me how
I am to make money
this way.!#$%^&*(

Call it consulting or licensing all companies must charge fees.  What makes
one model better than
the other?

Please forgive me for going on but I have personal experience with software
"consultants" that
would prefer to see Microsoft torn down because they have a "monopoly" only
to turn around and
use their position with a software vendor to try and destroy competition
(predatory practices).

Charles Reynolds
"Drive fast and take chances"
/\

P.S. This is not a flame on the information source.  I would just like to
try and understand where
I am to make some money in supporting OSS.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucas Vogel" <lucas7@home.com>
To: <plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 4:28 PM
Subject: ARTICLE: Free For All


> http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item16
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