To: sandeep who wrote (50356 ) 10/1/2000 3:04:51 PM From: JC Jaros Read Replies (1) | Respond to ..."free software" movement is ridiculous --- Step back and realize that the arguments you make in that paragraph are the same ones made against the Gutenberg printing press. The Internet runs on Bind, Sendmail, and Apache. All three of those are free software. If it weren't for free software, you and i wouldn't be having this conversation, or *any conversation. --- Free software, sandeep, has been around longer than the 'pay me what you owe me, you thieves!' Gatesian model which is (rather quickly) coming to a close. You and I vome up with some pretty good thoughts; some pretty high quality sentences, and we post them here for free, to share with whomever. What's the difference? How about music? What's the most pervasive music in the world? Folk music! --- Bill Gates has inserted an 80's notion in your mind that computer software programs wouldn't be written if it weren't for royalties. That's silly.
Maybe in the 1980's, a lot of 1980's music wouldn't have been made without the direct profit incentive. But, we're not in the 1980s anymore (as much as MS wants us to ignore that). --- With the dominant paradigm now being the Internet, and hardware companies like Sun are giving OS/Tools (and 'productivity suites') away for FREE, the $ value of software, the perceived value of software becomes less and less and less. --- Microsoft's biggest problem is they don't *make* anything. They make a mouse. It's a pretty good mouse but, it may be overvalued at $300 billion (simplification). --- Intel no longer needs MS. Why? Because software is free. --- And all of this is inconsequential to the fact that 'software' is becoming 'services over the network'. That's where the programming jobs are these days. -JCJ
