To produce software, you write code. For non-free software, you keep this code to yourself and distribute the software in binary form. That is, by definition, selfish.
So what?
I've designed electronic circuits at work and guess what?
We aren't stupid enough to give our compeitiors all copies of the schematics.
The code for the firmware and PLAs is all a trade secret.
Our battery charging interface and support software for the PC is all closed source, we don't make much money on the software alone, we profit most on the hardware.
Wow!
what evil selfish bastards we all are! We invest time and money in our hardware and software and we fucking deserve to gain a healthy return on our investment. Why don't you fucking string us all up and send us to the gas chambers?
Money, unlike software, is essential for survival. You need a certain amount of it to pay for your needs, then maybe some more for whatever it is you want, and, sometimes, after that, at least in my opinion, some people do become greedy slash evil, unless they share a bit of their wealth (by giving to charity, for example).
So, Microsoft share some of their money with charity.
Ofcourse some people will disagree - if you earn money you should be able to keep it for yourself. But when you consider all the problems in the world... At least in my books, any billionaire who hasn't given over INSERT_FIGURE_HERE to charity, is greedy slash evil.
Read the above.
For some people it just isn't possible to share everything - they just would not survive.
That's because they hardly have enough for themselves and I agree they shouldn't be expected to share. I know it just doesn't seem right for some people to have plenty and some so litte (and it isn't) but that life for you, welcome to the real world you hippy luney.
I'm not very well paid as I'm only an apprentice, I do donate some money to charity. I'm pissed off as I'm nearing the end of my apprenticeship and due to a problem at the company where I work there are no job vacancies for electronic engineers so I'm doing a shitty job at the moment (stock control) either until they find a decent job or I can get one some where else. People who develop software have also been in my situation before, (someone I work with has) your idea that people who develop proprietary software are greedy is palin worng.
Different story for sharing software.
Oh no it isn't, if you depend on the software for your survival it's exactly the same principle. The bigest problem you have is you're thinking that all companies are like Microsoft. You're conveniently forgetting about the smaller developers here who don't make themselves filthy rich and only sell enough to survive which they struggle to do as they have to compete with the old Billy boy and now the GPL crew.
Your logic has a major flaw, you think "Microsoft uses proprietary licences and they're evil therefore other companies who also use them are equally evil". This is pure rubbish, name one other software company that's even half as bad as Microsoft.
I dunno if things, price-wise, would be much different from today in a mature free software economy.
I'm sick to death of this naive attitude "Linux will have it's day", "the good will out and free software will prevail and crush these proprietary daemons", "capitalism will be brought down and we'll all live a life of piece, equality and harmony".
Where do you people get this hippy idealistic bullshit from?
How the fuck are things at the moment suggesting this trend?
Well I've got news for you they aren't going to chance, at least not in this lifetime, if you're right (and I doubt you are) it will be a very long time in the future, the tide hasn't even begun to turn yet and don't bet it will.
As your biased articles have correctly stated, free software can generate revenue and I have never disagreed with this point, but the amount it generates will be considerably less. Free software companies (as already said) make money from their services rather than their code and if they do make it big it'll only be in areas where companies want the services like web serving and databasing.
The domestic consumers will be affected far less as they don't uses the services enough to generate enough revenue to make it worth the developers' while. People won't suddenly mass convert to Linux and there won't be a dramatic increase in free computer games. Projects like OpenOffice, Inkscape and Firefox (which is likely to decline due to competition with IE 7 as I think it might be quite good) might make their mark but on the Windows and Mac platforms not Linux. Neich markets like engineering software where the userbase isn't high enough to sustain the market by purchasing services alone will be affected even less. I doubt Bills empire will come crashing down any time soon and if you do then you're very naive indeed.
