🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <C1CD82.4Gt@news2.cis.umn.edu> tyrell@seaotter.micro.umn.edu (john drexler) writes:
>I was expecting all negative comments when I posted here (after all, the
>typical reaction when one's cherished beliefs are threatened is hostility and
>shortsightedness).

Well, it appears to me that cherished beliefs are being challenged on both
sides.  The anti-GNU comments appear to be coming, in part, from a couple
of people (like you) whose cherished beliefs included the belief that it
would always be possible to make a lucrative living by selling proprietary
software, and that what's bugging you is that this cherished belief of
YOURS is being challenged.  Now, I believe that proprietary software will
be around for a very long time, it's just that the price of entry for the
entrepreneur is being raised: if you want to charge money you'll need to
do something a lot better than you used to be able to get away with.

>If you don't believe this, mail me a message saying that you will pay
>me $700 dollars for a'slightly better compiler'that I would be willing to
>write.
>If I get enough responses (and $350 in advance-- because hell, I don't believe
>you) I will write it.

Sorry, this demonstrates nothing.  I mean, who the hell are you?  If, say,
Preston Briggs made a similar offer I'll bet he could get plenty of
funding (he's one of those people who has demonstrated that he knows what
he is talking about in the area of compilers).  But you're just another
flamer.  Why should I think you have the talent to write a better compiler
than gcc?  What are your credentials?  Have you written a compiler before,
other than a student project?  Are you published in the compiler
literature?

Now, I'm not going to tell you that GNUtopia, if it ever arises, will
be benificial to all.  Software types will make less money, at least
the average ones.  But if you want to be an entrepreneur, you're going
to have to learn to survive in the new environment.  Do you really think
that free software is going to go away because everyone will read your
message, bop themselves on the forehead, and say "WHAT were we thinking?"
and go back to doing proprietary work only?



--
Joe Buck	jbuck@ohm.berkeley.edu