ARTICLE: Free For All

[Matt Alexander]

So tell me...  unless you work for Microsoft, how is it you can make money
selling software for Windows?  And if you actually do work for a
profitable software company, how long do you think until your product is
copied and included within Windows in an attempt by Microsoft to make the
next version of Windows a more enticing upgrade for its users?
Microsoft played a role in increasing the number of computer users
(although if there never was a Microsoft, Apple or some other company
would have accomplished the same thing), but now I strongly believe that
they are destroying the software industry and financially hurting
companies that have become dependent on their software because of their
recent licensing changes.
If MS suddenly disappeared tomorrow, life would still go on; hundreds of
companies would spring up to meet the needs of the computing public.
~M

__
This email uses only 100% recycled electrons.

On Fri, 7 Dec 2001, Charles A. Reynolds wrote:

> 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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