a good article on Free Software's slow adoption

[ravuya]

apparently the reason why they don't go for this is because, hell, they get all their software for free too (piracy, yay!)

i find that the author raises some decent points in this article, it might be worth taking a look through it.

[Calum]

quote:Commentary: How software piracy hurts Free Software
Monday June 10, 2002 - [ 05:23 PM GMT ]
Topic - Free Software - - By Nathan Joel Lunt -

I was discussing Linux in all its glory with a friend of mine, a Windows XP user, the other day. I told him all of the great things I could do with my Free Software, and offered to make him a copy, knowing there would be no legal stipulations on me doing so. He responded, "What can you do with Linux that I can't do with Windows?" So I proceeded to let him know that I could do everything he was doing, but legally. Unfortunately, this didn't persuade him, because he gets all his software for free, too.

Using Free Software doesn't offer him, the basic desktop user, any advantages,
because "pirating" proprietary software doesn't affect his bank account, and there is a prevailing if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it mentality that locks people into using vastly inferior software. For now.

Well, all this he says is true, but he misses the point a bit. Free software will continue to be just as effective and develop just as fast with or without the sort of people who like to pirate windows software tagging along.

Unlike proprietary software models, Free Software does not rely on people buying the stuff, funnily enough. The FSF is a charity...

If that xP guy wants to stick with his shit, then fine, let him, who cares? it's not harming anybody but himself in the end. It's not like he'd be developing free software himself with an attitude like that, is it?

It's brains not bums on seats when it comes to free software, and that's its strength.

And by Free Software, i mean Free as in Freedom, before some lame-o starts in about all that shit.

[ June 13, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]

[pkd_lives]

I think this article has a subtext going on. It's showing how M$ are getting boxed in. One of the reasons for Winsucks proliferation is that M$ has not followed through on ensuring that licenses have been kept up. Now it is trying to cash this in, because it needs a huge income source about now (the efforts of the BSA).

So this is a good thing. If it allows the previous state to continue then they will have to ignore a large revenue stream (which it can't really afford, especially with the new licensing agreements people are not taking up), if it does follow the license enforcement through then it will alienate enough people, that many will start actively seeking alternatives. Send a few home users to court for piracy of their software and then you would see dramatic stride in people changing their OS. They are fucked if they do and fucked if they don't.

Now you know why M$ are so desperate to get into the tv and hardware arenas, it may be their only big source of income soon.

Piracy of M$ shite does not help the cause.

[sporkme]

it doesn't help but it IS funny

[ravuya]

quote:Originally posted by sporkme:
it doesn't help but it IS funny

People pirate Apple's stuff too, that really doesn't help the Mac industry any.

[Calum]

because you need a mac to run it on. Therein lies the rub.