plug motif libraries

[John Summerfield]

On Tue, 2 Jun 1998, The Thought Assassin wrote:

> 
> While I don't feel that software developers have a moral obligation to
> provide source code to customers, I feel that the industry (but not
> necessarily companies within the industry) and the consumer would be
> greatly benefitted by a legal obligation to this effect.
> My justification is that, in the end, the software industry is a _service_
> industry, and that servicing the needs of consumers is what the game is
> about, not just providing shrinkwrapped boxes and a good-luck wish.
> For a software company to do the best thing by it's consumers, I feel that
> it should open up it's source to them, and make it's money from supporting
> it's customers, customizing the product on demand, and providing complete
> 'solutions' for it's customers' needs, rather than just boxes of disks.

Well, I reckon that creating a software product such is MSWOD, Lotus SS,
or even Linux is as much a service as creating motor cars.

Both are characterised by an extensive R&D process followed by packaging
and marketting.

To require vendors of motor cars to disclose blueprints, chemical formulae
and manufacturing processes would be as just as requiring vendors of
software products to disclose their source code.

Actually, car vendors would be beter off: not everyone can build a plant
to make cars, but every Tom, Dick and Harriet these days can run off a few
floppies or even CDs.

I do think a requirement to publish interfaces is a fair thing so I can
hook my application program into MSWORD or design an aircon for the Holden
Commodore.

And in the particular case where a software manufacturer creates operating
systems and application programs that their applications programmers
should have no better access to information and support for current or
future operating systems than competitors, or better input into desired
extensions to the OS.

Of course, there's nothing to PREVENT a manufacturer from revealing all,
and customers are perfectly entitled to prefer vendors who do. 

Imagine the legal bunfight that would ensure if MS was required to reveal
the sourcecode for MS Wrod, both forcing the disclosure and then lawsuits
claiming copyright infringment against all competitors: even if the suits
were without merit, the cost would crush most competition.


Cheers 
John Summerfield 
http://os2.ami.com.au/os2/ for OS/2 support. 
Configuration, networking, combined IBM ftpsites index.