[plug] Fwd: [SLUG] Lucky 13 for Linux

[Trevor Phillips]

Greg Mildenhall wrote:
> 
> > Sure, I love Linux and the whole concept of Free software, but I myself
> > find it difficult to give out code to something I'm proud of.
> Ummm, so you're proud of it, but you don't want anyone else to use it or
> see it? You can't be too proud of it.

There's different levels. You can give out your code and all to
everyone, or you can give out binaries, or you can release to certain
people based on agreements.
Plus, most of my code is web-server based, and so lots of people see it,
without knowing what's actually happening under the bonnet.

> > Money is also nice for recognition. I'm not saying I agree with
> > Micro$oft's way, I think they DO overcharge,
> I don't think they do overcharge. They charge what the market will bear,
> like any company, but they are operating in a market that's natural
> balance has been completely broken by government intervention.

Even the scheme to charge people a Yearly fee for their OS?

> > but when you put so much effort into something, it's nice to get a little
> > financial reward.
> And there is no reason why that can't happen with free software.
> Many people are financially rewarded for writing free software, and the
> numbers are rising exponentially at the moment.

I think I'm too new to the "market" to get all the ramifications yet.
^_^
Want to explain how an average developer can get paid for a product
distributed for no cost?

> > If someone charges $100 to spend an hour fixing someone's PC, why should
> > we be expected to give out our software we've slaved over for free?
> I don't think we should be. On the other hand, the hardware guy takes
> twice as much work to fix two computers, whereas it takes you just as long
> to write the program for one person as it does to write it for a thousand.
> After you've been paid for your services, it costs you nothing to let the
> rest of the world use your program, and might do a lot of good for a lot
> of other people - and of course they might return it in a better condition
> than that in which they found it.

True...

-- 
. Trevor Phillips             -           http://jurai.murdoch.edu.au/ . 
: CWIS Technical Officer         -           T.Phillips at murdoch.edu.au : 
| IT Services                       -               Murdoch University | 
 >------------------- Member of the #SAS# & #CFC# --------------------<
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