Desktop platforms Toolkit

Story: Sun 'distorts' definition of free software

• 
• 

Asking the users about the details of the license agreement and differences between Free Software, Open Source and indeed any other variant is a complete non starter. As previousloy mentioned they generally do not choose their software on this basis.

Saying the users are the most important element of the equation, because without them there would be no point is, in and of itself true, but very misleading in the context. You can say that without the software there would be no users. This is equally true and equally useless as a debating point.

To my mind the issue is about the future.

If I install some software that is free (no cost) today as a special discount from the vendors, but has a posted price of 1000 a seat, I feel good today. There is nothing to stop the company withdrawing the discount tomorrow and putting short sighted users like me in a bit of a bind.

With FOSS that issue doesn't come up.

If the vendor of a niche product goes to the wall, can I get updates and bug fixes any more? If I have the source code to do with as I will, then yes. If not, it's down to whatever deal is struck after the courts have their way. I have been in the situation where a supplier did go to the wall. Another company bought the rights and then did nothing. They then came out with an outragious price tag at the next arm twisting opportunity.

With FOSS that issue doesn't come up.

Traditional software vendors struggle with the business logic associated with selling people things they can get themselves for free. They don't seem to like working without the comfort of being a single source. While making Ra-Ra-FOSS noises they endlessly look for ways of treating FOSS like they had the sole rights to it and making stuff they have sole controlling rights to, look like FOSS. The FOSS community needs to be on the look out for this sort of behaviour.

It's like buying hay cut from common land. You know the grass was free, but you are buying the time and effort it tales to convert it into nice handy bales. If you don't want to pay, you can cut for yourself. If you have better things to do, then pay the man.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Full Talkback thread