Re: Freeware vs PD (was: filesystem programs)

[Chad Choi Lin <chadlin@nyetcom.com>]

Dan Bethe wrote:

>         Everything, even this email right here that I'm typing, is copyrighted
> just because we make it.  So it's generally considered illegal to claim
> that you wrote what you didn't write.
>         Notice my nebulous vocabulary on the subject?  I say "generally" and
> "usually".  That's because these things sometimes depend upon context.
> That has a lot to do with the fact that it's impossible to enforce
> intellectual property laws, which has a lot to do with the fact that
> they're a farce.  Information wants to be free, and people *do* want to
> just get along.
>         Long live GNU  :)
> 
> p.s.  just don't go stealin other peoples' stuff because if they worked
> hard to put it together, you can respect the opportunity cost that went
> into it.  People with excellent ethical and technical skills tend not to
> have this problem, however -- they can just write the world's best free
> software in their spare time or as a fully paying job.  I'll
> occasionally (rarely) buy software until they learn how to do it right
> -- for free.
> 
> p.s.  why did i write all that?  sorry :}

Don't apologize; it was well worth reading. Actually, there's another
reason why people should buy software -- when it's priced so reasonably
low that it isn't worth stealing. I'm currently amazed at the massive
number of IBM PC programs (mostly games) being redistributed on CD-ROM
for $9.95 or less; five years ago such a thing would be considered a
crazy hacker's drug dream.

As much as I like the idea that someday all software *will* be free, I
can see the programmer's side of the issue. It isn't unreasonable for
someone who took the effort to conceive, plan out, implement, test, and
finally distribute a piece of software to expect some form of
compensation for his or her labors. From this perspective, the act of
buying a program is a way of thanking the programmer for providing a
needed product (likewise, tipping a waiter is not just following
restaurant tradition but also telling the waiter how much their service
is appreciated; the better the waiter, the larger the tip should be).

What I strongly object to is the practice of charging outrageous prices
for software (two hundred dollars? Three hundred? Four hundred?? FIVE
HUNDRED?!? Someone call an ambulance -- I'm experiencing sticker shock!)
and then screaming about ethics when people resort to pirating. Excuse
me, but if you wouldn't demand an arm, a leg, and the firstborn of every
user who wants your product, maybe software piracy wouldn't be so
rampant.

Once again, especially if you think I'm being unrealistic, I recommend
you read the story of Altair, Bill Gates, and Tiny BASIC in the book
"Hackers" by Steven Levy. It describes how one computer programmer was
upset over how Bill Gates was charging high prices for a BASIC
interpreter for the Altair computer, and decided to do The Right Thing
by writing a better version (called Tiny BASIC) and asking customers for
just *five dollars* to purchase a copy! To find out how that venture
turned out, read on.

-- 
Peace, Love, and Apple II Forever!
Chad Choi Lin
chadlin@nyetcom.com

*********************************
New and improved .sig file -- now
with munged address AND spambait!
To send e-mail, remove the "y"
from the domain name of address.
*********************************

Hey MLM scam artists -- send your spam to the Federal Trade Commission:
pyramid@ftc.gov

The IRS wants to know how much money you REALLY make:
net-abuse@nocs.insp.irs.gov


********************************
Okay, I lied -- I'm not a NETCOM
accountholder. You can e-mail me
at "dirtlink" (fnord) dot "net"
********************************