Well that is the linooz-windoze problem. How do you establish trust without the source code? And how do you make money without protecting the source? A whole industry has arisen out of giving away the source, i.e. "free" software. Of course with all the programs out there, nobody wants to pay for expensive software that won't do the job. It's even too expensive time-wise to test all the garbage. And of course you cannot test shrink-wrap stuff. Learning time exceeds eval periods.
We don't pay for browsers, and expect to get some kind of office software on the computer ready to run. Pret a porter, "STS". But the best and most useful word processor you cannot buy is Open Office, at Open Office dot org, a Sun come-on. But it's good. openoffice.org Works better than the old crasher no-do-graphics abom., Word. I have it on windoze and linooz. Makes PDF files too. Good. Just be careful with graphics as the open office paradigm is to send graphics separate to file. Browser style. hmmmm....
Can u make money writing linooz (OK, Linux) software and giving away the code? Probably not. So how do? hmmmmmmm... Can u afford to run non-shrink-wrapped, non-large-scale non-source-code windoze exe files? Probably not.
What is the solution? I said you cannot charge for source code software compiled on a free compiler, but why not? If it's copy righted anyway and everyone did it, what is the diff? If anyone copies your code, it would be evident because they would have to publish the copied code, same way. Is this guilting the lillehammer?
So we diverse a bit. This thread is actually about The Discovery Mine and open-source gold, or as the Norwegians say, guilt. Politicians and some paper people want to drive the price of salt, beef, wood, gold, water and sex to zero. If they can get it for free, they can shrink wrap it, change the name and put under gov't license on shelves everywhere in the name of saving the free world from 911.
It's the people's gold. Don't let them do it.
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