🚀 go-pugleaf

unruh@physics.ubc.ca (Bill Unruh) writes:
>Jason Clifford <jason@dlsl.demon.co.uk> writes:

>>What I am asserting is that the author of any given software has teh
>>right to release source or not as he wishes - it is HIS work after all!

>Fair enough. However, I contend that it is a reasonable demand of
>society that in return for the grant of monopoly rights to distribute
>such software, the author be required to also publish the source code.
>He is still perfectly free to withhold it as long as he does not then
>demand the right to control the distribution of the software. Ie either
>keep it secret, or publish it, but not the current attempt to have it
>both ways -- keeping it secret and demanding the right to control
>distribution. 

What is to stop me from getting that public code and compiling it on
my computer?

Just to throw out an idea...

Require that most* of the source code be available for no more than the 
price of the software.

*most being ... 90% of the code for programs less than ?5000 lines long?
98% for programs greater than 5000 lines.

Code does not have to be commented.

The missing code must be mostly contiguous (you can't take 5 lines
of vital code from each module) and marked.

Independent programmers could provide patches to buggy software either
via free-/share-/GPL-ware (which would be subject to the same restrictions)
or via confidential contract (which would not).

Robert
I'm a newbie on this so cut me a bit of slack :)
Morphis@physics.niu.edu
Real Women change tires			abuse@uu.net postmaster@uu.net
Real Men change diapers                 security@uu.net