🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <LyTcBB12w164w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) writes:
>So why is it a problem that the HP X server isn't freely redistributable
>with source? We're expected to undertake a complete restructuring of 
>the economic basis for software development just so a tiny minority 
>who want freely redistributable source code can be assured that 
>they'll have it?

Think of it as a customer service option.  Some customers want the vendor
to hold their hand and provide upgrades and enhancements.  Others need the
freedom to customize and fix problems themselves because they can't be
assured that the vendor will provide those changes.

Just licensing source code at a reasonable price actually serves that
purpose.  However, the users should be able to share their fixes and
enhancements as well, so that each customer that can't wait for the new
release isn't forced to implement fixes themselves.  In other words, the
vendors shouldn't have the monopoly on software support.

>> In particular, when evaluating workstations, most customers' criteria
>> include performance rather than available free software.
>
>Which presumably means that people don't want free software.  Or am I missing
>something?

No, it means that people want fast machines more than they want free
software.  They're willing to put up with the software support hassles in
order to get a few more MIPS and FLOPS.  And many aren't even aware that
other options could exist, so they just go along with the flow and live
with whatever the vendors supply.

>> It has to come from the realization that there's a small segment of the
>> customer base that's better served by providing source.
>
>You're mixing up the two issues of source availability and 
>redistributability again, but basically you make it sound as though the
>GPL is an attempt by a tiny minority to push their view at the expense of
>the majority.

Yes, it is.  The inventor of the GPL doesn't believe in artificial
restraints on the use and distribution of intangible entities such as
software.  If I know that some people would like to have a version of MS
Word with some whizbang feature, and Microsoft isn't interested in
implementing that feature, I should be able to do it and share it.

One of the purposes of our form of government is protection of the rights
of minorities.  And hackers believe that they should have the right to
tinker with the software they purchase, and show off and share their
results.
-- 
Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar